paper - Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association

instances, Ministers, who sit at the very top of the structure, will take on the patronage of
the project and work diligently at securing necessary funding.
In some countries, the office of the Prime Minister might take administrative control.
While this establishes a significant level of project support, many SDI projects may
extend beyond their political mandate or interest and are at risk of disappearing with
political priority.
5.5.2 Competing Agendas
Shifting and changing priorities are the bane of existence for any project. Too often,
the initiation or developing success of a project is seen to threaten other initiatives or
mandates. A well developed and research business case must include a thorough
environmental scan that identifies existing and potential risks to the project from
competing interests.
A well developed vision includes and acknowledges related and dependent areas
and defines the involvement and responsibilities of the staff and leadership in those
areas.
5.5.3 Passive Resistance
Stonewalling is an effective weapon employed within a bureaucracy and ignoring its
affect is to place the project at risk. Even with introducing the project and developing
performance measures with all concerned with the success of the project, and seeing
heads nod in agreement, passive resistance can still be alive and well. As a result,
deadlines are not met, deliverables do not appear and eventually the passionate leaders
of the project can “crash and burn” in frustration.
This can be mitigated by clearly identifying potential risks through the aforementioned
environmental scan, employing critical path analysis that clearly identifies
weaknesses, and at a very basic level, ensuring there is an ability to determine
participation in the project. In many cases, a partnership model with the private sector
can prove useful for components of deliverables on the critical path.
In some dire cases, leadership must be prepared to take decisive action to address
performance expectations immediately, up to and including staff re-assignments.
6. ACCESS AND DELIVERY MECHANISMS
6.1 Data Storage.
A common vision must include the management and technical requirements of data
storage.
In BC, each component layer of the SDI has its own life cycle, data model and
technologies, and as a result, the location and format for each layer resides in different
warehouses, both within and outside of the public sector. (The “popcorn” model), see
Figure 1 below.