Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications

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    What will motivate local governments to share spatial information
    McDougall, K. ; Rajabifard, A. ; Williamson, I. P. ( 2005)
    Local government is a rich source of accurate and detailed spatial information which is utilised not only at the local level but increasingly at other levels of government. To build the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) at a state and national level, the role of local governments and their motivation to participate in the sharing of spatial information must be better understood. Although institutional problems still present some of the greatest challenges in building multi-jurisdictional SDIs, the technical and physical capacity of the smaller jurisdictions can impact on their ability to participate with larger and usually better resourced jurisdictions.In recent years partnerships have emerged as a useful mechanism for establishing a framework and environment conducive to data sharing. However, unless the partnership arrangements are carefully designed and managed to meet the business objectives of each partner, then it is unlikely that they will be sustainable in the longer term. This paper outlines research being conducted on the factors that contribute to the success of local-state government partnerships initiatives in Australia. The research methodology, which consists of mixed method approach utilising case studies and a qualitative survey of local government experiences in partnerships arrangements will be discussed. The case studies based in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania focus on the arrangements to share property related information and reflect a variety of collaborative approaches. Some initial findings of the research will be presented and their possible implication to future partnership initiatives will be discussed.
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    What Will Motivate Local Governments to Share Spatial Information?
    MCDOUGALL, K ; Rajabifard, A ; WILLIAMSON, IP (Spatial Sciences Institute, 2005)
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    From Little Things Big Things Grow: Building the SDI from Local Government Up
    McDougall, K. ; Rajabifard, A. ; Williamson, I. P. ( 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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    Understanding the motivations and capacity for SDI development from the local level
    MCDOUGALL, K ; RAJABIFARD, A (FIG (International Federation of Surveyors), 2005)
    Local government is a rich source of accurate and detailed spatial information which is utilised not only at the local level but increasingly at other levels of government. To build the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) at a state and national level, the role of local governments and their motivation to participate in the sharing of spatial information must be better understood. Although institutional problems still present some of the greatest challenges in building multi-jurisdictional SDIs, the technical and physical capacity of the smaller jurisdictions can impact on their ability to participate with larger and usually better resourced jurisdictions. In recent years partnerships have emerged as a useful mechanism for establishing a framework and environment conducive to data sharing. However, unless the partnership arrangements are carefully designed and managed to meet the business objectives of each partner, then it is unlikely that they will be sustainable in the longer term. This paper outlines research being conducted on the factors that contribute to the success of local-state government partnerships initiatives. The research methodology, which consists of mixed method approach utilising case studies and a qualitative survey of local government experiences in partnerships arrangements will be discussed. Some initial results of the research will be presented and their possible implication to future partnership initiatives will be discussed.
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    National land information infrastructure through a collaborative framework
    Marwick, Brian ; RAJABIFARD, ABBAS ; Kalantari, Mohsen ; WILLIAMSON, IAN (International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), 2012)
    Australia is being faced with issues which demand a national focus. These issues include natural resource management, land markets, trading in commodities such as water and carbon, and the development of national policies for housing and infrastructure. Businesses also are demanding a more national approach as an increasing number of businesses now operate nationally. This is reflected in the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures which show the number of businesses operating in all states and territories increased by 70% between 2003 and 2007. Over the past several years considerable effort has been directed by the Australian Government towards the development of a “seamless economy” to improve productivity across its federated system of government. In this environment, Land administration in Australia is also jurisdictionally based with no national infrastructure capable of delivering the land information necessary to meet Australia’s needs. In the past, this jurisdictional based approach to land administration has satisfactorily served Australia in an environment where the vast amount of service delivery by both business and government was state focused. Each jurisdiction has taken advantage of the ongoing technological developments to enhance their respective systems and it would appear that many of the needs at a jurisdictional level continue to be met. Whilst land administration has not featured specifically in this reform several of the nominated projects involved land in some form. To respond to the national drivers, this paper aims to introduce a collaborative framework for the implementation of a national land administration infrastructure which relies on the state and territory based systems as its primary source of information.
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    Local government and SDI: understanding their capacity to share data
    MCDOUGALL, KEVIN ; RAJABIFARD, ABBAS ; WILLIAMSON, IAN (Netherlands Geodetic Commission, 2009)
    Local government has been recognised as an early leader in the development, deployment and innovation in spatial information systems. The introduction of corporate wide spatial data portals within local government was as significant as the release of Google Earth to the wider public. Although these information systems continue to expand and mature, the potential for these local spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) to contribute to higher level SDI initiatives remain largely unrealised. This article explores local government SDI within Australia to assess its capacity to contribute to higher level SDI initiatives. A comprehensive survey of over 100 local government authorities was undertaken to assess their SDI capacity and collaborative initiatives. The results were analysed to identify factors that contribute to their successful local SDI development and, more widely, to the development of higher level SDI initiatives through data sharing partnerships. The findings from the analysis indicate that suitable policy frameworks, an understanding of business needs, organisational support and ability to access data through equitable sharing arrangements are critical drivers in building and developing SDI from the local level.