30 G I S AT T H E C O R E O F S D I s Austria’s Geographic Data Conforms to INSPIRE By Mariana Belgiu, Research Assistant, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Geographic Information Science Highlights „ ArcGIS Server Geoportal extension supports customized metadata profiles. „ Geographic information custodians can publish metadata that conforms to the Austrian Metadata Profile. „ Information sharing helps private- and public-sector agencies reap the benefits of working together. Austria encompasses much of the mountainous territory of the eastern Alps, which contains many snowfields, glaciers, and snowcapped peaks. Nestled in valleys near idyllic farms and hidden among the forests and woodlands that cover almost half the land lie glistening palaces and gabled houses. To protect the beauty and splendor of its natural resources, Austria has used GIS for the past 25 years. The Federal Office of Calibration and Measurement coordinates geographic information, ensuring the data is standardized and always available. However, Austria consists of nine independent federal states, each with its own provincial government, which has led to the creation and management of geographic resources being scattered across many organizations. Having disparate data sources makes it difficult to use the information to make more informed decisions on social and environmental issues. To solve this problem, the Austrian government found it necessary to develop a coordinated spatial information system capable of data sharing and reuse on national, regional, and cross-sector scales. The system is a geoportal based on ArcGIS Server and the Geoportal extension. The geoportal gives the states and regions a collaborative approach to developing a coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained information system. The Austrian umbrella organization for geographic information, AGEO, maintains the geoportal. Visualizing biomass potential in Austria with Web map services. Coordination Across Austria AGEO was formed in 1998 to make it easier to access geographic data throughout the country. The organization brings together national and municipal administrations, universities, and many different professional associations, representing the interests of the Austrian geographic information community at both the national and international levels. In the last few years, this umbrella organization has focused its activities on supporting and promoting the development of a national spatial data infrastructure within the framework of a European geographic information-sharing community. “The AGEO organization is concentrating its activity not only on public administration of geographic data but also on business; academic; and, of course, general public interests,” says Prof. Dr. Josef Strobl, the current chair of AGEO. At the European level, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament set up the legal framework for developing the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe, the INSPIRE Directive. This directive (Directive 2007/2/EC) came into force in March 2007 and aims to integrate islands of geographic information of varying standards and quality throughout Europe. Austria incorporated the INSPIRE Directive into its national legislation, taking a first step toward implementing the requirements of the directive in the country. The next step involves the creation of communication mechanisms between producers and users of the geographic information. Metadata Makes Sharing Geographic Information Easier One of the main difficulties with sharing data in Austria is that the available spatial datasets and Cityworks - the choice of local government. Cityworks is a flexible and affordable Asset Maintenance, Permit, and License Management System. Designed and built for Esri’s GIS technology, organizations can issue and track service requests, work orders, inspections, permits, business licenses, and manage customer needs. www.cityworks.com | 801.523.2751