SDI Convergence - Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association

appears at low levels and can seek its way upwards. The other way is much harder.
Cooperation initiated at top level often has great difficulty in penetrating downwards in
the organisation. In short one could say that cooperation and organisations that are
very hierarchical oriented seldom match very well.
From a theoretical standpoint, cooperation can be explained, by three characteristics:
(1) reciprocity, (2) stability, and (3) robustness. Reciprocity is perhaps the most important
quality of cooperation. It means that the cooperating parties have a mutual understanding
and act in similar if not exactly the same ways. There is also an element of
equality between the parties. Stability is the capacity to resist attacks from outside
aimed at the destruction of the cooperation. Robustness is the capacity to grow in an
environment that alters from time to time.
3. SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURES
SDI represents the important parts of a framework for effective production, handling
and dissemination of spatial data within a nation or a region. In this context there is a
frequent need of referencing not only to this framework (SDI) but also to the total spatial
system or network that is held together and served by the SDI in question. This
feature is referred to in this article as the ‘SDI-based network’.
An SDI-based network is a very complex construction. It consists of a number of cooperating
organisations with different goals and cultures that to some extent at least produce
spatial data of common interest to society. Based on agreements, or law, they
form a network and try to follow a set of standards and rules to fulfil an overarching
goal benefiting society. Fulfilling these standards and rules and participation in constructing
them can be seen as acts of cooperation. Practical implementation in particular
often calls for advanced mutual planning and coordination of activities at the base
level of the organisations concerned. This can be problematic and a possible explanation
why even established SDI principles are difficult to realise in practise.
Relating SDI to the basic concept of cooperation raises two questions in particular:
1. Is the ‘SDI-based network’ in question robust enough to guarantee sustainable data
access on defined terms?
2. Is the ‘SDI-based network’ in question flexible enough to adapt to new conditions in
the future in terms of, for instance, technical standards and pricing policies?
These questions are closely related to the fact that an ‘SDI-based network’ does not
exist in a vacuum but in close connection to the rest of society. This can be simplified
by saying that we have two very strong ’magnets’ pulling the ‘SDI-based network’ and
with the ultimate capacity to change or even destroy the ‘SDI-based network’. One
magnet is ’the users as a whole’. The users represent the reason why the SDI network
was constructed and are the primary beneficiaries. The other magnet is government,
including the European Union, which sets many rules and lays down conditions for
operating the system.
The ‘SDI-based network’ has to live within the ’magnetic field’ between these two
strong magnetic poles (see Figure 1). So, the SDI-based network is not only a complex
construction in itself, but is also constantly subject to developments and changes in the
‘magnetic field’ between users and the government.
231