In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

221 Afterword by Joep Crompvoets The ambition to develop accessible and comprehensive information systems for territorial matters is widespread in the public sector, ranging from large supra-national bodies, e.g. the European Union, to municipalities or local communities across the globe. In the course of the past two decades, considerable effort and resources have been devoted to the introduction of spatial data processing capabilities and to the construction of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in a large number of public bodies. The important level of uptake of GIS-technology across different levels of government is an indicator of the large expectations the technology and information systems have created to facilitate management and use of geographic information. In the wake of the so-called information technology revolution, policy makers, administrators, various stakeholders among them not in the least citizens, have indeed grown accustomed to the promise and usability of exponentially enhanced technological capacity for data and information storage, processing and exchange. MostcurrentGISarestilldesignedtoservespecificorganisationsorprojects.Asaresult of the limited and isolated scope of development the accessibility and interoperability of the information systems are not optimal. Barriers encountered can be technological, related to the characteristics of spatial data (geometry, semantics) or can be nontechnological . The latter comprises legal aspects (owner rights, liability, copyrights, compatibility with EU public sector information directive…), economic, financial and last but not least organisational aspects. In the future, these non-technological ones will likely form the main barriers. In order to improve accessibility, interoperability and affordability of spatial data and information, the focus of the GI-community is now increasingly shifting to the challenges associated with integrating these individual systems into a space and time independent continuum to support (1) public authorities and administrations at various levels, (2) thematic user communities, (3) enterprises and (4) citizen-oriented society as a whole. A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) is the envisioned outcome of such endeavour. An SDI addresses both technological and non-technological issues, ranging from the creation and maintenance of GI for a wide range of themes, technical standards and protocols, and organisational issues, to data policy issues including data access, sharing and usage policy. In the information society, information infrastructures are becoming the backbone of the public sector. Public administration and public policy will not be based on hierarchy, but on databases and information networks. In this way, the development of an SDI is expected to lead to profound public sector innovation. Classic hierarchical administrative structures will make way for networks of information. These networks of information will process and exchange information on citizens, organisations and related geographic elements. The increasing importance of networks of information will change the identity and role of the public sector, its relations with other actors in society and its internal (business) processes. In the information society, the public sector will have to play new roles (e.g. collection of information in authentic sources of information). The public sector will develop new relations: instead of classic hierarchical relations, the public sector will 222 operate in horizontal networks of partnership and collaboration. Tasks will be driven from user perspective, and reallocated between the public, not-for-profit and private sector. This new identity, roles and relations will affect the business processes of the public sector and its interfaces with other actors in society. Classic bureaucratic processes will have to be innovated and redesigned in order to be effective and accountable. This book highlights and justifies very well the need for such a redesign and additionally makes suggestions for making the (organisational) redesign a success. This book is a welcome and timely contribution to the theory and practice of SDIs, and in many respects breaks new ground in improving our understanding of the increasing relevance and value of SDIs from an organisational context. It also explores theoretical issues, and provides an empirical study related to the organisational SDI aspects. Finally, I am particularly pleased that my colleagues of the Centre for Sociological Research of the KU Leuven have made an important contribution to advancing the research in the domain of SDIs. Joep Crompvoets Leuven, Belgium April 2013 ...

Share