A Local-State Government Spatial Data Sharing Partnership

Operational Definitions
The following brief operational definitions of terms which are used commonly throughout
this thesis are provided to clarify the context in this research.
Establishment and
Direction Setting
The process of initiation of a data sharing partnership which
includes the goal setting, organisational alignment,
negotiation and development of partnership agreements.
Governance The people, policies and processes which may exist within a
data sharing partnership or organisation to manage, plan and
monitor the operation.
Institutional Environment The operating environment of individual government
agencies or organisations which can include the staffing,
finances, policies, leadership, business activities,
organisational structures and historical developments.
Jurisdictional
Environment
The political, economic, social, geographical and
environmental dimensions of a State or Local Government
jurisdiction.
Mature SDI Partnership The stage at which the data sharing partnership has
established operational procedures and processes for the
routine exchange of data and which is contributing to the
development of a SDI.
Motivations This term has been used to indicate the potential benefits that
may be seen by organisations or individuals for collaborating
to share data or resources.
Partnership Management The processes required to overview and direct the operations
of a data sharing initiative.
Partnership Operation
and Maintenance
This refers to tasks which are required to be undertaken
during a data sharing initiative. Some of these tasks include
the data exchange process, communication, resourcing and
project management.
Partnership Sustainability The long term operation of a data sharing initiative which
allows it to move from a project based enterprise to an
ongoing and resourced program.
Performance Monitoring The assessment of the performance of a data sharing
partnership over a period of time. Normally the progress is
measured across a series of indicators which are based on an
initial benchmark.
SDI Development The process of establishment and ongoing maintenance of a
spatial data infrastructure which supports the wider utilisation
of spatial data by government, private sector and the
community in general.
Success This term has been used to indicate a generally positive
outcome from a data sharing initiative. The cessation of a
partnership may not necessarily indicate failure. Moreover, it
may indicate that other avenues may now need to be pursued.
Therefore, success may need to be viewed across a number of
dimensions.
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