Project information
Uptake of Open Geographic Information Through Innovative Services Based on Linked Data (SDI4Apps)

The potential of geographic information (GI) collected by various actors ranging from public administration to voluntary initiatives of citizens is not fully exploited. The advancements of ICT technologies and shift towards Linked Open Data give floor to innovation.
The establishment of SDIs has largely been driven by the “traditional” GI community and the national and European policies governing this sector. In 2013 GI is no longer a separate information space but finds itself part of a larger European information space where the ultimate objective is the creation of value-added services based on use and reuse of public sector information as defined by the PSI and INSPIRE Directives rather than exchange of “layers” between different GIS software.
Establishing an infrastructure to meet this new and wider objective puts even greater strain on local authorities and institutions that traditionally were users of GI but now find themselves in a an environment where they are expected to be data and service providers, a role that is far more demanding in terms of technical knowledge – and resources.
The main target of SDI4Apps is to bridge the 1) top-down managed world of INSPIRE, Copernicus and GEOSS and 2) the bottom-up mobile world of voluntary initiatives and thousands of micro SMEs and individuals developing applications based on GI.
SDI4Apps will adapt and integrate experience from previous projects and initiatives (e.g Habitats, EnviroGrids) to build a cloud based framework with open API for data integration, easy access and provision for further reuse. The solution will be validated through six pilot applications focused on easy access to data, tourism, sensor networks, land use mapping, education and ecosystem services evaluation.
SDI4Apps will secure that users profit from INSPIRE and INSPIRE profits from different voluntary initiatives. SDI4Apps will build a WIN-WIN strategy for building a successful business for hundreds of SMEs on the basis of European SDIs.