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International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B6. Istanbul 2004 
  
1.2 The need for consistent up-to-date information 
In all these cases geographic information (GI) is fundamental in 
providing a framework within which problems or people are 
enabled to achieve goals or solve problems. We are familiar in 
the atlas and paper-mapping world with pan-national mapping. 
To maximise potential and minimise costs in the digital world, 
geographic information is more often maintained at the detailed 
level for national purposes such as planning, registering land 
and property, crop management etc. 
From this detailed information, smaller scale mapping is often 
derived either directly or indirectly via some form of manual 
generalisation. A fundamental need for most users of GI, paper 
or digital, is currency — i.e. up-to-dateness. A 10-year-old map 
of the Athens area is of little use to someone who is arriving by 
air and hiring a car for example — since the new airport and road 
network is 20-30km from the former international airport. 
Similarly a 6-month-old database is of limited use to someone 
who has to register a new property or planning a new 
engineering development. 
ligure 2. New technology opens up new horizons 
Economically and logistically it makes sense to capture 
information once and re-use it. For example a new housing 
development or a new highway is required at the detailed level 
for land registration or planning. This information also affects 
several forms of derived mapping. 
Determining solutions to these issues has been central to the 
objectives of most national mapping and cadastral agencies 
[NMCA's] around the world for the last 30 years. Considerable 
progress has been made at the national level but a new approach 
is now needed to link up across national borders. The aim also 
is not just to maintain the same level of service; NMCA's have 
to set new and improved levels of service for a wider and more 
demanding range of customers. 
215 
   
   
  
2. EUROSDR 
2.1 EuroSDR — a focus for European collaboration 
EuroSDR [EuroSDR, 2004] is a research platform for national 
mapping agencies, academic institutes, the private sector, 
industry and other groups concerned with European spatial data 
infrastructures vital to sustainable spatial planning and 
development. : 
  
   
   
   
  
  
   
  
 EuroSDR 
" members | 
Established in 1953 as OEEPE, the organisation has recently 
celebrated 50 years of continuous collaboration, and now 
includes cighteen countries. EuroSDR is governed by a steering 
committee, which consists of two delegates from each member 
state, one from the NMCA and one, from: an 
cducational/rescarch institute, together with representatives 
from the private sector and geographical information user 
groups. The interaction between these different groups and the 
focus of its research on the implementation of GI technology 
developments make EuroSDR unique in Europe. 
The aim of EuroSDR is twofold: 
e To research and develop systems for the production 
and dissemination. of core geospatial data and 
information, and to promote the applications of all 
such data and information. 
e To stimulate interaction and co-operation between 
research organisations and the public and private 
sector, to exchange ideas about relevant research 
problems and to transfer research results obtained to 
geographical information (GI) production 
organisations. 
2.2 EuroSDR — a focus for European collaboration 
The Rolling Research Plan 2004-2006 continues to integrate the 
existing photogrammetric based activities of the organisations 
with a much wider scope (strategic and technological issues 
related to the European Geoinformation Infrastructure). It is 
recognised that this activity can only be achieved through 
strengthening international — co-operation between the