THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE GEO-DATA INFRASTRUCTURE: 
FROM A DATA DELIVERY NETWORK TO A VIRTUAL ENTERPRISE 
SUPPORTING COMPLEX SERVICES 
M. Radwan, L. Alvarez, R. Onchaga, J. Morales 
International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) 
(radwan, alvarez, onchaga, jmorales)@itc.nl 
Commission VI, WG VI/4 
KEY WORDS: Geo-data Infrastructure, Geo-Information Market, Geographical Services, Service Broker, Workflow Management 
Service, Quality of Services 
ABSTRACT: 
The geo-data infrastructure (GDI) has for long been developed as a network for spatial data discovery and access. As a result spatial 
data, in distributed and heterogeneous databases, are readily accessible and sharable. Spatial data abundance notwithstanding, a 
rapidly growing segment of the geoinformation market comprises non-expert GIS users who seldom seek raw data but rather de- 
mand value-added information products and services of varying complexity. Increasingly. traditional geo-data infrastructures fail to 
fully meet the needs of emerging markets. Further, increased competition, demand for lean enterprises, pervasive e-commerce and 
rapid gravitation towards Internet GIS all compound to motivate the concept of a novel service-centred infrastructure that enables 
delivery of geo-information services and products typically beyond the capability of any single organization. Such a service-centred 
infrastructure has variously referred to as the Geographical Services Infrastructure (GSI). 
The GSI operates as a virtual enterprise comprising dynamic collaborations of many organizations partnering on the basis of core 
competencies and shared business objectives. The development of such an enterprise requires the design of an integrated platform 
that enables interoperability and inter-working of functional entities within heterogeneous environment. To facilitate access to GIS 
services over the Internet (Web GIS Services), mechanisms are needed to coordinate and control the execution of identified services. 
Workflow management services are suited for the latter set of functions while service brokers support the former. Service brokers 
maintain registries containing relevant service metadata to aid the discovery of required services. Workflow management services 
control and coordinate the execution of service chains, both intra- and inter-enterprise, negotiate and enforce adherence to quality of 
service specifications (service level agreements) while shielding the client from the complexities of the chaining process. The ser- 
vice broker and WFMS are thus central components of a GSI. The paper proposes a GSI system architecture in which the service 
broker and workflow management systems enable the delivery of services illustrating the interactions between these key compo- 
nents. An example for implementation is presented. 
Current developments in the industrial and service sectors are 
1. THE VIRTUAL ENTERPRISE: focusing on the concept of VE and in the issues that have to be 
THE ROAD TOWARDS COLLABORATIVE WORK addressed to achieve inter-organisational integration. The 
development of an integrated platform that enables 
  
Today's dynamic business environment forces industrial and 
service sectors to work beyond their boundaries and operate in a 
more tightly coupled mode, forming integrated ‘virtual’ 
enterprises, to seize business opportunity. A Virtual Enterprise 
(VE) is a temporary network of independent organisations 
(legally autonomous companies), that join functions with a 
particular objective. A VE is structured and managed in such a 
way that it is seen by third parties as an identifiable and 
complete organisation (one enterprise). The principles of the 
VE are: better customer satisfaction, reduced time-to-market 
and adaptation to changes in the surrounding environment. 
These principles are applied mainly with the aim of having a 
share in a wider global market. This approach provides an 
organization with enough flexibility to handle an uncertain 
changing environment. These enterprises are called “virtual” 
because of their temporary nature, seizing certain, often short- 
lived. business. The products and services provided by VEs are 
dependent on innovation and are strongly customer-based. 
interoperability and inter-working of functional entities within 
heterogeneous environment is required to make such an 
enterprise feasible. Further, special computer-based tools are 
required to manage cross-organisational information, processes, 
and workflows as well as the quality of services of such 
distributed enterprise [2]. [3], [4], [5]. [6]. 
2. IMPACT ON GIS MARKET: GOING BEYOND 
THE TRADITIONAL BOUNDARIES 
OF ORGANIZATIONS 
2. New Trends in GIS Advances 
The implementation of these new ideas of virtual communities, 
collaborative work, etc. and integrating processes and 
information from different organisations, for the delivery of 
products or services on the basis of common business 
understanding is an inevitable future characteristic of the GIS 
market worldwide. These developments lead to several 
consequences, such as: 
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