A Local-State Government Spatial Data Sharing Partnership

A Local-State Spatial Data Sharing Partnership Model to Facilitate SDI Development
generally. The second driver, namely the need for coordination, continues to be a critical
component of any inter-jurisdictional initiative.
Countries that developed the first generation of SDIs had a limited knowledge about the
different dimensions and issues relating to the SDI concept (Rajabifard et al. 2006). The
major objectives of these initiatives were to promote economic development, to stimulate
better government and to foster environmental sustainability (Masser 1998b). Masser
(1999) also argues that the second generation of SDIs will see the restructure of existing
SDI frameworks within existing countries and the emergence of new frameworks as other
countries begin to develop their own SDI frameworks.
Crompvoets et al. (2004) characterise the second generation of SDIs by the change in
focus of some of the early adopters (Australia, Canada and USA) including the updating of
strategies and conceptual models. These authors believe that the second generation of SDI
developments, commencing around 2000, fall into two groups: those first generation
countries that are gradually updating and modifying their initiative and those countries that
that have recently decided to design and develop their SDI.
The generational developments of SDI may also be examined from the context of either a
product based model versus a process-based model (Rajabifard et al. 2002; Williamson et
al. 2003). Figure 2.4 illustrates the concept of these two models.
Figure 2.4 Product-based and processed-based SDI models (Rajabifard et al. 2002)
The product-based model represents a key aim of SDI initiatives, namely to link the
existing and upcoming databases of the respective political/administrative levels of the
community as illustrated in part A of Figure 2.4 (Rajabifard et al. 2002). The first
generation of SDIs focussed on the delivery or generation of a product, particularly to
justify early efforts and resourcing.
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