Call for Action: The Challenges and Opportunities of Spatial Data Infrastructure

Last January 2010, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. Buildings collapsed, roads heaved, and the damaged to power and communication lines virtually left the city blind. People were confused in the absence of guidance on where to go; the rescuers did not know where to begin. As the world stood still, humanitarian support poured in. In the midst of chaos, a direction was made. Roads were cleared with singular intent of providing the veins through which rescue and emergency support passed through. Unknown to many, the provision of such passable roads amidst the ruins was made through the use of Spatial Data Infrastructure.

Spatial Data Infrastructure is composed of policies, standards and procedures under which organizations and technologies interact to promote more efficient use, management and production of spatial data. SDI becomes a necessary tool for communications and for building stability in this uncertain world. But, as the SDIs continue to grow, a lot of questions, challenges and opportunities also arise to test the capabilities of this base data.

In answering the calls for help in the Haiti earthquake, various sectors and organizations created geospatial/mapping data to help the rescuers. The problem, however, was the differing interfaces and web protocols that made it difficult to bring data together and analyze them.

Some of the key challenges facing the implementation of SDI are: how to incorporate new technologies, how to deal with the differing quality of data, how to expand SDI into different fields or practices (ex. Business or environment), how to put in place the policy, financing, and governance mechanism that will promote and sustain SDIs through time.

Technology grows faster than one can imagine. Almost on a daily basis, a new technology or gadget is being introduced to us. This holds true in the use of SDI. Most SDIs have developed new functions such as mapping services and web features. Also, new tools are now available like the satellite imagery viewer, participatory mapping and mobile applications. All these make important how data can be readily available for use by the public.

The rapid access to data and information is crucial to the economic, environmental and social well-being of our global society. Geographic reference is needed in areas such as health, education, and social welfare, and in answering this challenge, there is a need to have standard protocols that will cut across uses and demands in our current situation.

An example where there is a growing requirements for spatial data infrastructure is in the area of environmental management. To achieve sustainable economic development and protection of sensitive natural resources, land managers need to have a deep understanding of the characteristics and special features of the territory they are working on. This understanding comes from developing an SDI on their own or making an inventory of what information already exists from other sources.
The US National Research Council’s Mapping Science Committee produced a report that recommends guidelines that can help SDI through its challenges and opportunities. These recommendations are as follows: (1) Effective national policies, strategies and organizational structures for integration of national spatial data collection, use, and distribution, (2) procedures should be established to foster access to information, and (3) a spatial data sharing program should be established to enrich national spatial data coverage. This defined the elements of NSDI and provided a conceptual framework for an enhanced spatial data infrastructure.

The key ingredient to a successful SDI implementation then is the cooperation and willingness to respond to society's needs. There are still hindrances, but solutions are also available. Metadata, data access mechanisms, standards for interoperability and other suggested best practices for implementing geospatial technologies are now accessible to those who are interested. The challenge is for us to open up our eyes to all the tools available in our quest for sustainable development.

Condensed from the original article by:

Moeller, John. Spatial data infrastructures: Challenges and opportunities. Directions Magazine (July 28, 2010). http://www.directionsmag.com/articles/spatial-data-infrastructures-challenges-and-opportunities/122331

Other sources:

National Academy Press

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=4895&page=9

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2105&page=1

Image Source:

http://sdi08.rosa.ro/

Looking Beyond Spatial Data Infrastructure

Spatial Data Infrastructure is usually seen as a new innovation or a new type of technology. Most of us may tend to neglect it because of ignorance. We do not know what it is for and what can it do.

But what we do not know is that SDI has been existing for about 70 years now. Although it may provide the simplest maps, or just plain ideas and concepts on geography, for decades its products have been used by various sectors.

Beryl Markham, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from London to North America, wrote what probably is the best description of what a good map (and a well-designed SDI) can provide. She wrote in her book “West with the Night” (1942):

A map in the hands of a pilot is a testimony of a man’s faith in other men; it is a symbol of confidence and trust. ... A map says to you "Read me, follow me closely, doubt me not." It says "I am the earth in the palm of your hand. Without me you are alone and lost." Were all of the maps in the world destroyed and vanished under the direction of some malevolent hand, each man would be blind again, each city be made a stranger to the next, and each landmark become a meaningless sign post pointing to nothing. ... Here is your map. Unfold it, follow it, then throw it away, if you will. It is only paper. It is only paper and ink, but if you think a little, if you pause a moment, you will see that these two things have seldom joined to make a document so modest and yet so full with histories of hope or sagas of conquest.

These words hold the very nature of and goal of Spatial Data Infrastructures:

Faith and trust in each other – SDI’s foundation is built in faith and trust from different people of various fields and sectors. The provision of data from SDI shows the confidence that people have in technology.

The earth in the palm of your hands – through SDIs, we can look into both the local and global perspective of the mapped data. It answers the basic human questions “Where am I? Where am I heading next?”

Without it, you are alone and lost – most people would not be able to perform tasks accurately if not for the data provided by SDI and without the ability to communicate geographically.

Each would be blind, each city be made a stranger to the next, and each landmark becomes a meaningless sign post pointing to nothing – maps make us knowledgeable of places that we have never been before. Geographic knowledge can create a thread that connects people together.

Unfold it, follow it, then throw it away, if you will – paper maps can be thrown after using them, but today, with the help of SDI, geospatial data can be kept, updated and modified for future use.

SDI has been established in the US government which provides a new initiative regarding mapping and geospatial information. On April, 1994, an executive order entitled “National Spatial Data Infrastructure” (EO 12906) was established by the United States of America. It described SDI as “the technology, policies, criteria, standards and people necessary to acquire process, store, distribute, and improved utilization of geospatial data.” The executive order also states that the Federal Geographic Data Committee, which was formed in the establishment of the EO, should involve the state, local, and tribal government in the development and implementation of pioneer projects, as well as consult the experts of the academe, private sector and professional societies.

From these initiatives, Spatial Data Infrastructure has grown and became an integral part of information networks. From the simplest data sharing, it has sprung into a dynamic and evolving infrastructure that has the capacity to integrate various data, technology and systems. SDI is also seen as a national asset, which can be used in different scales, from the local, national to global levels.

With the help of Spatial Data Infrastructure, the world can be seen as an organic whole and not as disconnected pieces. Through time, the data we have becomes better and more innovative. As people use SDI more, organizations and various sectors will have more option in implementing the best practices and spatial information infrastructures that supports the needs of the society.

Condensed from the original article:

Moeller, John and Grumman Co, Northrop. Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) - Why Should We Care About Them?. (February 22, 2010). http://www.directionsmag.com/article.php? article_id=3414

Additional Sources:

http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo12906.htm

http://www.karenblixen.com/gale.html