Spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) have come a long way in the last two decades. In this timely scholarly volume, Harlan Onsrud, past president of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association, presents the latest research by renowned international experts and offers insights into possible directions in which SDIs may be headed. Firmly rooted in a broad societal context, the studies take technical, legal, economic, and institutional challenges head-on, with a strong emphasis on the needs of developing nations. The research analyzes models for planning, financing, and implementing SDI initiatives and assesses the extent to which established SDI projects in Australia, India, and the European Union are contributing to national economic competitiveness and social well-being. The book includes examples of how instrumental SDIs can be in disaster preparedness and poverty management, and it examines the integration of intellectual property rights within the framework of international SDI collaboration.

About the editor:

Harlan J. Onsrud is professor in the Department of Spatial Information Science and Engineering at the University of Maine and a research scientist with the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) in the United States. He is past president of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDI) and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science.

2007 - 306 pages