International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B6. Istanbul 2004 
geoinformation users and producers, research communities and 
industry. 
To realise this research objective, EuroSDR intends to address a 
broad range of topics at the forefront of the GI industry. While 
continuing its research interests concerned with testing 
performance and applicability of technological developments 
related to sensors, data acquisition, image analysis and 
information extraction, the organisation will develop the 
following research lines: 
* Core databases: modern use of core data will be highly 
integrated with other data. Semantic content of the 
databases will be more critical with the effect that the 
importance of data quality, including thematic content, 
completeness and currency of the data will, require more 
attention. This raises issues related to structure, modelling, 
semantic aspects, up-down-scaling and updating. 
Integration: GI production should be based on the 
integration of data sources; no source should be any longer 
treated in isolation. The provision of reference data 
promotes integration. 
Information dissemination: This will address 
technological issues related to the dissemination of GI on 
the Internet. 
Development of Rules of Best Practices for sub- 
contracting/ outsourcing and quality assurance/ control 
thereof. 
Testing of de facto and de jure Standards 
Testing Proposals resulting from other initiatives. 
2.3 EuroGeographics 
EuroGeographics [EuroGeographics, 2004] is an organisation 
formed by the heads of almost 40 NMCAs and other bodies 
across Europe. Its aim “to achieve interoperability of European 
mapping (and other GI) data within 10 years and so help the 
public and private sectors develop good governance, sustainable 
growth and benefit future generations” 
Both EuroSDR [formerly OEEPE] and EuroGeographics 
[formerly CERCO & MEGRIN] have undergone significant 
change in recent years and offer a complementary agenda. This 
should reinforce closer collaboration in future to manage the 
significant challenges that lic ahead and those in particular that 
lie in the hands of the NMCAs. 
3. EUROSPEC 
3.1 Pan European Reference data 
EuroSpec [EuroSpec, 2004] is described in more detail in the 
proceedings of this conference [Luzet & Land, 2004]. EuroSpec 
is addressing the issue of GI interoperability across Europe to 
provide a better infrastructure to solve the challenges we face 
today, some of which were highlighted in the introduction to 
this paper. 
EuroSpec does not aim to create a unique centralised pan- 
European database, and does not aim to develop a uniform 
specification for all databases and all applications in Europe. 
216 
It’s primary aim to establish the conditions for efficient access 
and use of GI residing and updated by the source providers. 
This implies a common technical language, based on a shared 
EuroSpec Schema, and a common business language, based on 
a shared understanding of pricing and licensing terms. 
  
ransformation 
echanisms 
& 
interface 
  
  
  
Figure 4. The EuroSpec distributed supply model 
Source data resides with the serving organisation, normally the 
NMCA; in some countries [e.g. Austria & Germany] the 
state/regional body may supply their data via the NMCA. 
EuroSpec will focus on common interoperable specifications 
for what the European Commissions INSPIRE initiative has 
defined as the “Common Reference Data”, covering 7 main 
themes: 
Geodetic reference 
e 
e Units of administration 
e Units of property rights (parcels, buildings) 
e — Addresses 
*  Topography (e.g. hydrography, transport, height) 
e  Orthoimagery 
e Geographical names 
3.2 Interoperability 
Interoperability appears to be a universal word but in the sense 
of EuroSpec we need to achieve technical and business 
interoperability. In terms of the information the need is 
horizontally (across nations) and vertically (across the different 
themes of data and information) if true seamless and effective 
exchange of application data is to be achieved. Application 
data is that data which is used by someone to fulfil a purpose 
e.g. a river quality record at a point, traffic flows along a 
section of highway, crop grown in a specific field on a given 
year, a route used to get from a to b and so on. Application data 
will be referenced to a common base i.e. the reference data. 
3.3 EuroSpec programme 
Within the EuroSpec programme there are several major 
components of work such as the EuroRoadS project 
[EuroRoadS, 2004]. These are all supported by a business and 
technical infrastructure framework, within which lies a field of 
technical research to ensure that EuroSpec is both informed and 
prepared on specific issues across the programme.