inspire and copernicus: gaps to be bridged between two...

INSPIRE and Copernicus: gaps to be bridged between two communities?

– a national perspective

Olav Eggers, Danish Geodata Agency, June 19th 2014

Danish Geodata Agency (GST) -Responsibilities

• Geodesy & Surveying, defining and maintaining the geodetic reference data, -systems and map projections for Denmark and Greenland

• Mapping authority, maintaining a comprehensive collection of geographical information about Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands

• Nautical charting of the waters surrounding Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland

• Cadastre and cadastral activities divided between private licensed land surveyors and the cadastral authority – a “Public-Private Collaboration Model”

• Infrastructure for Spatial Information, ensuring acoherent spatial infrastructure - supporting the public administration and public sector activities

Danish Geodata Agency

MissionThe Geodata Agency works to ensure that spatial data provides as much benefit to society as possible.

VisionSpatial data is used in a coordinated fashion by the public sector; creates coherence in the digitization process; and increases quality and efficiency in the public administration to the benefit of citizens and corporations.

The Geodata Agency (GST) Strategy 2013 - 2016


juni 20144Danish Geodata Agency

What are Basic data?

• Mandatory to be used across the public sector

• Right quality for the main/majority of applications

• Clear responsibility for keeping the Basic Data valid and up-to-date

• Semantically coherent and modelled accordingly to the Modelling Rules for Basic Data

juni 2014Danish Geodata Agency

Gaps to be bridged between two communities?

Danish Geodata Agency SIDE 7

…a little bit of history…

Based on the experience of the tender by DG ENTR to produce EU-DEM and EU-HYDRO, the Danish Minister of the Environment Karen Ellemann sent a message to Commissioner Mr. Janez Potočnik (DG ENV) in 2010, prior to the GMES Regulation (GIO):

• Concern is that the draft Regulation text did not sufficiently take into account, the ongoing implementation of the INSPIRE Directive in the Member States, and the importance of maximising the use of Member State’s investments in INSPIRE…

SIDE 8Danish Geodata Agency

…is it a perfect handshake?


Article 10 of the INSPIRE preamble states that INSPIRE will represent significant added value for - and will also benefit from -other Community initiatives such as Copernicus

Preamble 9,“Copernicus data should be compliant with MemberStates' spatial reference data as well as withimplementing rules and technical guidelines of INSPIRE.”

INSPIRE vs. Copernicus

• Different steering mechanisms

• Sector influence matters

• Time perspective

• Stakeholder communities

• Financing


Clash of approaches

• Top-down vs. Bottom-up approach• Short vs. Long term gains/goals• The rapid need for European wide seamless data

sets vs. Ensuring the benefits of an integrated NSDI/ESDI

• The wish to stimulate industry vs. Data for monitoring the environment



Alignment of roadmaps

Reference data in Copernicus…

Article 5.2: “…integrating at European level existing space, in situ and reference data and capacities in Member States, thereby avoiding duplication. Procurement of new data that duplicate existing sources shall be avoided, unless the use of existing or upgradable data sets is not technically feasible, cost-effective or possible in a timely manner. “


…implemented through…

Copernicus Reference Data Access

A dual track approach to ensure service cross-cutting improved availability and access to a selected group of required reference data.

1. harvest national and regional datasets from the EEA 39 member and cooperating countries, and make them available at a single point of access for the Copernicus services.

2. improving pan-European reference datasets, which are primarily used for gap filling over those areas for which no national or regional reference data can be accessed in the short term, or in cases where homogeneous data specifications are required over the full geographic coverage.


Copernicus reference data actions

Copernicus WP 2014a) An operational access to a road network service based on the

combination of national road databases with gap-filling from pan-European databases;

b) A series of operational mechanisms for the exchange of information from national hydrographic databases to allow the update of the EU-HYDRO database;

Recent EEA call for tenderLot 1 covers technical support for an access node to harvest national

and regional datasets from the EEA 39 member and cooperating countries, and make them available at a single point of access for the Copernicus services (CORDA).

Lot 2 covers technical support for completion and improvement of pan-European hydrographic and elevation datasets (EU-Hydro and EU-DEM) for use by Copernicus services.


Gap filling actions…

Is the top-down approach regarding production and maintenance of e.g. the EU-DEM and EU-Hydro supporting the development of spatial infrastructures in Europe?


Infrastructure principles

ELF – part of the access solution…

ELF is:• One source for access to European Reference data from the NMCAs and

other official sources; providing up-to-date, authoritative, interoperable, cross-border, reference geo-information for use by the European public and private sectors.

• With a versatile cloud-based and cascade-supporting architecture provides a platform of INSPIRE compliant geo-information, harmonised at a cross-border and pan-European level.

Status:• Transformation tool available• Quality validation tool by end of September• Generalization approach selected (Master Level1 -2 priority)• Change management progressing• Edge-matching progressing


…how does CORDA fit in?

Copernicus Reference Data Access (CORDA) is proposed as a solution for accessing national and/or regional geospatial reference data

EEA, through its Eionet network, has an operational setting for negotiating the access to those reference data considered essential for the production of Copernicus services.

In the Reference Data Access part of the land monitoring service, EEA has been tasked to set up a single point of access to such national and regional data

• Could CORDA build on ELF infrastructure and data integration achievements?


Is there a common path for INSPIRE and Copernicus?


YES – if…

1) the top-down approach is avoided

2) duplication of efforts is minimised

3) the infrastructure established around Copernicus will build on INSPIRE and the NSDI’s – hence interoperable from national to EU level

4) the quality of supplementary Copernicus products is ensured to comply with MS data, and maintenance agreements are made


Danish Geodata Agency SIDE 22

Do we need Athenian democracy?

...no it’s more simple

Cooperation provides as much benefit to society as possible

Partnership approach

between the Commission and Member States

Coordination of developments

Cross programme governance


EuroGeographics General Assembly 2013

Thank you for your attention!

inspire and copernicus: gaps to be bridged between two...

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