Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemSnapshot of SDI Development in Australia: Models, Partnerships and Lead Agencies Advancing Implementation( 2002)Australia is entering a new era for spatial data infrastructure (SDI) demonstrated by the unification of prime sectors of the spatial information industry and a renewed Government focus on spatial information. A spatial information stock take is required to review progress to date and evaluate current directions. SDI is deemed essential for the provision of services to support modern society's information needs and can be considered in the same manner as other public service infrastructure such as roads and utilities.This paper will evaluate progress since the release of ANZLIC's (1996) model for a SDI for Australia and New Zealand, identify the agencies driving SDI in Australia and will highlight key initiatives contributing to the ASDI development. Selected countries with advanced National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) programs will also be discussed in relation to developments of the SDI model within Australia. The paper contributes to research conducted by the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration at the University of Melbourne on SDI and to a new project being undertaken to develop a methodology to map the complex nature of the institutional arrangements and partnerships that support NSDI with particular focus on the ASDI.
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ItemFrom Little Things Big Things Grow: Building the SDI from Local Government Up( 2002)The successful building of a multi-jurisdictional SDI has the potential to deliver significant benefits to the community, business and government through improved access to a range of relevant geospatial data. An effective National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) requires the vertical integration of spatial data at all levels of government. With local government being a custodian of a number of key SDI data sets, its role is now recognised as crucial to the development of the State and National Spatial Data Infrastructures. This paper will investigate some of the technical and institutional impediments that must be addressed within local and state jurisdictions in order to realise these benefits. An overview of the current status of local-state SDI arrangements in Australia will be presented as a basis for discussion. A framework for the further investigation and research into these issues will be outlined and some suggestions for progress put forward.
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ItemThe Nature of Regional Spatial Data Infrastructures( 1999)Today, more than ever, it is important to look beyond our national boundaries. The world as we know it ischanging. Economies worldwide are undergoing a process of profound and continuing structural change,and the global village is becoming a reality driven by information and communication technologies.With this background, many countries throughout the world believe they can benefit both economically andenvironmentally from better management of their spatial information by taking a perspective that starts at alocal level and proceeds through state, national and regional levels to a global level. This has resulted in thedevelopment of the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) concept at these levels, with the National SDI andGlobal SDI receiving much attention.While there is increasing interest being given to Regional SDIs, such as promoted by the PermanentCommittee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP) and the European UmbrellaOrganisation for Geographic Information (EUROGI), and a recognition that these Regional SDIs willpromote economic development and environmental management within these regions, the concept andjustification of Regional SDI is still not clear. The purpose of this paper is to describe the nature of RegionalSDI and its benefits. Moreover, the paper will review the difficulties inherent in RSDI development and willsuggest some factors for the success of a RSDI initiative.
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ItemAre SDIs serving the needs of local planning?: case studies of Victoria, Australia and Illinois, USA( 2001)National spatial data infrastructures (SDI) have been initiated and built throughout 1990s in both Australia and the U.S., initiated and coordinated by the Australia New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC) and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), respectively. Numerous SDI-related activities at the national, state, and local level in both countries share similar core objectives, which are to stimulate coordinated collection, dissemination, and use of spatial data by public and private entities. This coordination is to result in digital databases that would be easily accessible and seamless across administrative and organizational boundaries and that would help secure social, environmental, and economic benefits to the involved communities. The improved information resources at the local level in particular are expected to contribute to sustainable urban development and to enhance the cooperation between government and nongovernment sectors. This paper raises the question about the actual effectiveness of the existing SDI developments and about the outcomes of the related interactions between the local, state, and national levels. Case study of local governments in Victoria, Australia and Illinois, U.S. are used to evaluate the utility of existing SDIs to local planning activities and to offer recommendations for increasing their effectiveness in supporting sustainable development.
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ItemSpatial data infrastructures: concept, SDI hierarchy and future directions( 2001)The world as we know it is changing. Economies world wide are undergoing a process ofprofound and continuing structural change, and the global village is becoming a reality driven byIT and communication technologies. With this in mind, many countries believe that they canbenefit both economically and environmentally from better management of their spatial data assetsby taking a perspective that starts at a local level and proceeds through state, national and regionallevels to global level. This has resulted in the development of the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)concept at these levels.SDI is fundamentally about facilitation and coordination of the exchange and sharing ofspatial data between stakeholders from different jurisdictional levels in the spatial datacommunity. Understanding of its role and nature are important to the acceptance of the conceptand its alignment with spatial industry objectives.The aim of this paper is to present the nature and concept of spatial data infrastructures,including the SDI hierarchy, which have helped to build understanding about the importance ofthe relationships within different levels of SDIs to support the interactions and partnerships of thespatial data communities. Moreover, the paper will highlight the importance of sharing andunderstanding its special social system, followed by a discussion of the future direction of SDIs. Itis argued that by better understanding the future direction of SDIs, any SDI development can gainsupport from a wider community of both government and non-government data users andproviders.
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ItemSpatial data infrastructure frameworks to support decision-making for sustainable development(Geography Institute of Colombia, 2001)
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ItemKey Factors Influencing Regional SDI Development and Relevance to Global and Other Levels(GSDI6, 2002)The challenge of designing, building, implementing, and maintaining an SDI draws on many different disciplines and requires examination of a large number of factors and issues. It is essential that SDI practitioners understand the significance of human and societal issues as much as technical issues, all of which contribute to the success of SDI developments. Key issues include sustaining a culture of sharing, establishing a common language, and maintaining reliable financial support. This paper presents and discusses major classes of factors which influence, or contribute to the development of a Regional SDI initiative together with recommendations to facilitate the development of Regional SDI initiatives. It is argued that the adoption and implementation of these recommendations can assist Regional SDI coordinating agencies to receive more support and speed up their progress in the development of SDI initiatives. This paper draws on research conducted by the authors in Asia and the Pacific region, based on the theory of innovation diffusion which provides the research framework. The results and lessons learned from this research can also be used and applied in other regions, and potentially other jurisdictional levels such as local, state, national and global.
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ItemThe Cultural Aspects of Sharing and Dynamic Partnershipswithin an SDI Hierarchy( 2002)The need to create multi-participant, decision-supported environments to address the issues of sustainable development and improving the quality of life creates a growing need to organise data across disciplines and organisations through different forms of spatial data infrastructure (SDI). This infrastructure is fundamentally a concept about facilitation and coordination of the exchange and sharing of spatial data between stakeholders from different jurisdictional levels in the spatial data community. The concept is well explained as an integrated, multi-levelled hierarchy of interconnected SDIs based on partnerships at corporate, local, state/provincial, national, regional (multi-national) and global (GSDI) levels. The creation of such an infrastructure and understanding the role of dynamic partnerships within an SDI hierarchy are essential to develop any SDI initiative. This paper reviews the nature and concept of SDIs, including the SDI hierarchy, which has helped to build understanding about the importance of the relationships within different levels of SDI, to support the interactions and dynamic nature of partnerships between spatial data communities. The role that human nature plays in any endeavour based on interaction and sharing makes cultural and social factors within a business environment important to the acceptance of the SDI concept and its alignment with spatial industry objectives. Further, the importance of establishing a culture for sharing as well as understanding the dynamic partnerships necessary to support such a culture is highlighted, and three classes of factors influencing SDI development are identified. It is argued that the adoption and implementation of these factors and selection of a proper model for SDI development can assist SDI coordinating agencies to overcome the problem of low participation and speed up the progress in the development of SDI initiatives.