Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Conference, Canberra
Wednesday 18 November 1998

Session 3: Strategic Imperatives of GSDI

Session Chair: Michael Wood, President, International Cartographic Society

TerraServer, The Largest World Atlas
John Hoffman, Aerial Images Inc., USA

The TerraServer project is a business case study. The speaker noted that unlike many of the other GSDI initiatives this project was aimed directly at the consumer level where there is market potential.

The aims of the TerraServer project are:

• Expand access to SPIN-2 data
• Establish a global data set on the Internet
• Create understanding of the new geography
• Lower the price of digital data
• Increase archive coverage
• Establish consumer applications

The TerraServer project was conceived in 1988. Since then the project has collected over two and a half terrabytes of information, adding 100 000 square kilometres of new SPIN-2 data each month. The 2^nd generation of TerraServer will be launched soon.

The speaker listed a number of policy issues that impinge on the project:

• Open Internet access
• Commercial access world-wide
• Local government controls
• "Shutter control" issue
• Data standards and coordination
• Educational program initiatives

In answer to a question about additional TerraServer nodes and worldwide coverage, the speaker related how the project aimed to create global coverage at 2 metres and urban coverage at 1 metre, with additional hyperspectral data.

Government Industry Policy and the Global Economy
Russell Higgins, Secretary, Department of Industry, Science & Resources, Australia

The speaker began with the know: what, why, how and who of the global knowledge based economy. He stressed the need to develop strong networking arrangements to allow for sharing of information. Thus, the need for a GSDI was recognised.

Industry policy was covered through a number of examples. For instance, agriculture and mining have largely been overtaken by knowledge based industries which have relied on significant innovation of both product and process.

The speaker listed a number of strategic imperatives that could be exploited through the GSDI:

• Improved access to the know what, why, how and who
• Improved information transfer
• Exploitation and diffusion of new technologies
• Competitive advantages to Governments

The speaker answered questions on the following issues:

• The level of understanding within the Australian parliament is certainly increasing. The use, access and exchange of knowledge is becoming a much bigger issue with increasing time.
• The session chair, Mr Michael Wood, noted that there is an immense amount of knowledge available but less time to spend learning. It was agreed that it was important for children to have access to and be able to harness this knowledge.
• The issue of data and metadata was discussed. There was a view that industry would level out the standards but good (complete and thorough) metadata was still crucial.

Enabling GSDI via Focussed Technology Initiatives
Kurt Buehler, Vice President, Open GIS Consortium Inc., USA

The speaker discussed the concept of a GSDI interoperability framework. The speaker noted that:

• a GSDI should support commerce and vice versa
• a GSDI should utilise a technical framework, which should be based on ISO/TC 211 standards and OpenGIS
• a GSDI organisation should build pilot projects based on the technical framework, adjust the framework, and then educate participants on how to use the result to become part of the GSDI.

With respect to commercial aspects, a GSDI should:

• support a "commerce" in data
• will need e-commerce
• make it easy for entry into the market for data
• support commerce in services

The speaker suggested that if the GSDI initiative support commerce, then business will support the GSDI (and make it more successful). The need for proof-of-concept pilot projects was stressed as a mechanism to move things forward.

The speaker presented on the hypothesis that "Technical mechanisms can reduce the number of policy issues that must be addressed". The technical framework should ensure access to appropriate information and delivering data to users fit for their purpose without undue impediment.

The speaker described a technical framework that includes at least:

• a useable, extensible metadata standard
• a data cataloging and access mechanism (complete with e-commerce capabilities)
• an ever increasing set of value added services made accessible via common or federated computing infrastructures.

This framework might be called the "GSDI Interoperability Framework".

The speaker described GSDI as being one example of a profile of a more general interoperability framework. Most major organisations and disciplines will need a mission-specific ESDI (Enterprise Spatial Data Infrastructure).

It was strongly suggested that the standards coming from ISO/TC211 should form the basis for the GSDI Interoperability Framework. The specifications coming from the Open GIS Consortium should be used to implement these standards in the context of distributed computing infrastructures.

In summary:

• GSDI should enable commerce and, if it does, businesses will support the GSDI
• A GSDI Interoperability Framework should be specified using standards from ISO and specifications from OGC
• Example implementations of the GSDI using the GSDI Interoperability Framework should be built
• The GSDI Interoperability Framework should be adjusted with lessons learned in implementations
• Participants should be educated about how the proper use of the framework will enable them to become part of the GSDI
• OGC will support this with all of the resources it can muster

In answer to questions the following points were also made:

• Governments will increasingly come to recognise the GSDI as a key "economic driver"
• In general, there needs to be more spatial data slushing around the system
• There has to be a partnership between the public and private sectors
• An open access policy leads to increased benefits down the track
• The need for an increased objective-based regulation (i.e., self regulation) where the onus of responsibility is placed on the GSDI participants