Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) is a framework of spatial data, metadata, users and tools that are interactively connected. It is conceived to be an umbrella of policies, standards and procedures under which organizations and technologies interact to foster more efficient use, management and production of spatial data. It also provides a basis for spatial data discovery, evaluation, and application and facilitates the access to geographically related information..gif)
The word infrastructure promotes a reliable, supporting environment that facilitates the access to geographic information with a minimum set of standard practices and qualifications. This infrastructure runs on various details which are intertwined to create and facilitate a group of virtually unlimited packages of geographic information.The goal of building a spatial data infrastructure is to lessen the costs used in geographic information, as well to lessen the repetition of efforts among agencies. With this, geographic information will be accessible to all, and will have more practical benefits to users.
Sources:
Federal Geographic Data Committee
Spatial Data Infrastructure: Developing Trends and Challenges
Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (2004), Developing spatial data infrastructures: The SDI
Cookbook. Version 2.0
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