A Local-State Government Spatial Data Sharing Partnership

Chapter 5 – Results of Partnership Case Studies at State Government Level
PIP review, further remodelling of the key data bases are required to facilitate improved
interoperability, and hence a more efficient and automated data exchange process.
The potential contribution of the Queensland PLI to the State’s SDI is currently limited.
Prior to the introduction of the new licensing agreements in 2004, institutional issues were
the key limitation to the development of the partnership and hence SDI development. In
particular, the initial inequitable access and pricing policies created a disincentive for local
governments to enter into the data exchange agreements. The State Government
institutional environment was driven by cost recovery policy and pressure by some areas
of government to outsource activities. As a result of this policy framework, little data was
exchanged, project support was limited and the development of supporting standards and
technology was stifled.
From the human resource perspective, the project lacks any clear project leader and the
dispersed organisational structure is not conducive to efficient project management. The
new data share arrangements have now addressed one of the major institutional barriers
that existed with the partnership, but organisational issues such as resourcing, project
management, and staffing require attention.
The Tasmanian LIST put in place a strong institutional and policy framework at an early
stage of the project development and has maintained a high level of political support. A
key feature of the SDI development within the LIST was its focus on standards and
technology. The development of data models and the recognition of the importance of
metadata enabled the development team to understand the issues of custodianship,
workflows and data maintenance. These learnings enabled the LIST to effectively
contribute to the development of the data share agreements, particularly with respect to the
detailed schedules of responsibilities and the equity arrangements. The LIST portal is used
widely across the state and local government and has been the major focus of the State’s
SDI over the past decade.
5.5.4 Summary of Comparison
The different comparisons of the case studies provided an insight into the determinants,
collaboration dimensions and the expected contribution to the SDI development in each
state. The motivations and determinants for collaboration vary across each of the case
studies, however resource scarcity was found to be a common motivator, which supports
the findings in organisational literature.
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