Governance: Spatial data infrastructure

The following indicator is under consideration for this pilot edition of the Barometer: To what extent do relevant laws, regulations, policies, and guidance provide an integrated framework to maximise safe access to, and use of, geospatial data?

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Question sub-components

Show/hide supporting questions

Existence

• What is the nature of the framework that maximises safe access to and use of geospatial data?
  • There is no framework at all
  • There are various aspects of a framework, but they are not integrated/well connected

    Supporting questions: Do these frameworks apply to different national agencies or they are local frameworks?

  • There is an integrated framework at the country level

    Supporting questions: Please provide the name and URL of the integrated policy or framework

Elements

Part 1: What does the framework say specifically about data?

• The rules/guidance require that data is regularly updated. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The rules/guidance support publication of open data. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The rules/guidance support the collection of structured data. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The rules/guidance specify the licence under which this data will be published. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The framework requires to publish data in machine readable formats. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The framework requires a verification process. (No, Partially, Yes)

  Supporting questions (conditional)

  If Partially: Please briefly explain the verification process used, and which parts of collected data the framework requires to be verified and which parts it does not.

  If Yes: Please briefly explain the verification process used.

Part 2: Framework contents

• The framework clearly designates a custodian(s) responsible for relevant public data. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The framework sets out metadata standards. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The framework contains provisions to recognize and respect privacy issues related to location data. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The framework supports interoperability across national geospatial and statistical data as well as geospatial data generated by sub-national agencies. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The framework establishes a method to securely share sensitive geospatial data. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The framework supports 'data collaborative' arrangements, bringing in private sector data and/or crowdsourced data. (No, Partially, Yes)

• The framework specifies how the collection and management of this data will be financed. (No, Partially, Yes)

Extent

• S: The framework(s) applies to all agencies working with Geospatial data.

• How comprehensive is the coverage of laws, regulations, policies, or guidance assessed for this question?

  • They only apply in a narrow set of situations

    Supporting questions: When do these rules/guidance apply?

  • They cover one or more central government agencies, but there are many agencies or local government units with weaker rules/guidance

    Supporting questions: Which agency or agencies do these rules/guidances apply to?

  • They cover one or more central government agencies, but there are similar rules/guidance that apply to many other agencies and/or local government units.

    Supporting questions: Which agency or agencies do these rules/guidances apply to?

  • The laws, regulations, policies or guidance assessed, or equivalent rules/guidance, apply across the whole public sector including national, sub-national and local government

    Supporting questions: Are there any notable exceptions? (E.g. defence sector)

Definitions

Definitions and Identification

Geospatial information can contribute to sustainable development when countries adopt an integrated approach that maximises safe access and use of geospatial data for a variety of stakeholders.

A key element of this approach to coordinate and integrate efforts on geospatial information is having robust policy and legal frameworks, which are essential for effective, efficient and secure management and exchange of geospatial information (UN-GGIM, 2020).

Therefore, this indicator focuses on laws, policies, norms, treaties, executive orders, directives, etc., that set the guidelines to manage geospatial data in a country in an integrated and coordinated way—with the objective of maximizing the utility of geospatial data—leading to secure management and sharing of this information, and clearly establishing responsibilities and mandates, strengthening governance, and accountability in geospatial information management.

It has been said that geospatial data does not exist isolated, thus its frameworks might interact with and be derived from general government information policies such as those related to e-Government, national security, privacy, intellectual property rights, data availability, open data, standards, education, statistical, and administrative data.

Research Guidance

Start by identifying national frameworks (laws and or policies, etc) that refer specifically to geospatial data. Such a framework may consist of multiple components, such as laws, policies, and executive orders, that interact with each other. If you cannot find such a framework, check for frameworks for e-government, open data, and other related issues that might mention geospatial data.

Starting points

• Sources:
  • UN-GGIM country reports provide summaries of geospatial data national strategy updates by country.

• Search:

  • Links and mentions of frameworks in geoportals.
  • Explore the websites of national mapping agencies.
  • Search for "geospatial data" or similar keywords in official law repositories.

• Consult:

  • Geodata specialists and communities.
  • Public officials working in mapping agencies
  • Open data officers

What to look for?

Look for evidence that can answer the following questions:

• Are there any laws, policies or guides that govern the collection and use of geospatial data?
• If there are some laws, policies or guides in place, do they;
  • describe how data should be collected and released?
  • specify custodian(s) responsible for this data?
  • set out meta-data standards?
  • support interoperability between different agencies producing and releasing geodata?
  • consider location privacy issues?
  • supports data collaboratives?
  • specify how collection and management of this data is going to be financed?
  • set out a secure and reliable data flow?

National and sub-national considerations

National frameworks for geospatial data are recommended to ensure coordination between agencies working with geodata at different levels at a national extent. However, if there is no national framework look for local frameworks that apply to sub-national levels. Assess the most complete one, and then indicate whether this is an outlier, or an example of widespread practice.

Indicator Justification

"All countries and all sectors need geospatial information for national development, policy and decision-making. Geospatial information is presented in many forms and mediums and provides the integrative platform for all digital data that has a location dimension to it." (UN-GGIM, 2020, p.5)

Geospatial information is a critical part of any national data structure. It serves to locate facts derived from a varied range of sources and this is vital for making decisions on national policies aligned with sustainable development (UN-GGIM, 2019). Geospatial information might be gathered, used and shared by a wide range of institutions and agencies within a country, and can serve multiple purposes. Countries that have kept their data in silos suffer from duplicated efforts and end up missing the opportunities and benefits of an integrated approach as their data is not interconnected.

When stakeholders have access to Geospatial information they can contribute to sustainable development, tackling social, economic and environmental problems while at the same time enhancing the knowledge economy. The United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM, 2019) recommends that there is need for an integrated approach that allows a variety of stakeholders safe access to and use of geospatial data. Historically, these efforts have been reflected in building and maintaining National Spatial Data infrastructures, traditionally focused on collection of data and implementation technologies. Recent developments on geospatial data policy approaches, summarized by the UN-GGIM, have widened these approaches, adding focus on the "governance, policy, financial, capacity and engagement processes necessary to collect, maintain, integrate and share geospatial information, through all levels of government and society, in a modern and enabling technology environment" (UN-GGIM, 2019).The approach was named the Integrated Geospatial Information program or plan, and it is explained in the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF).

A key element of this approach  is a robust policy and legal framework, that is vital for effective, efficient and secure management and exchange of geospatial information (UN-GGIM, 2020)—that affects the ways in which geospatial information is collected, used, stored and distributed, towards public good.