EUROGI has recently published an open 
letter, which has identified some of 
the major questions we need to be 
addressed, the debate about which 
should lead to the identification of 
a strategy to guide those who have 
the responsibility in the development 
of standards so that relevant and 
sensible ones can be brought to the 
market in timely fashion and be used. 
c. Role of the Private/Public 
Sectors 
A debate has started in many National 
arenas with regard to the respective 
roles of the public and private 
sectors with regard to GI. This is 
an important issue with many 
different shades of opinion held in 
different countries by a wide range 
of organisations involved. EUROGI 
will © support and’ facilitate ' this 
debate but it is clear that some form 
of partnership between the relevant 
sectors will be crucial to effective 
developments. 
d. Data Availability 
This is one of the key issues. An 
EGII should strive to provide access 
to a broad readily available high 
quality platform of base data within 
a .uniform infrastructure across 
Europe, so that every market niche is 
open to everyone, so that existing 
data can be combined to provide 
relevant reliable, valuable 
information and so that new data can 
be effectively and immediately used. 
Meta data services and standards are 
critical to the achievement of this 
aim. A great deal has already been 
achieved in some national and 
disciplinary areas, but the quality 
and coverage is patchy. The current 
DGXIIIe projects on base data and 
meta data services will help to shine 
light on what has happened so far and 
identify the shortfall in the present 
situation. This platform can then be 
used to encourage others to fill in 
the gaps and yet more to increase the 
awareness of the information that is 
available cin s/what'"^ globally is 
comparatively a data rich region. 
THE GLOBAL SITUATION 
While Europe has been debating its 
requirement for a GI infrastructure 
parallel initiatives (some far more 
advanced in implementation) have been 
started in other parts of the world. 
In the USA with its National Spatial 
Data Infrastructure (NSDI), in 
Australia, Japan, SE Asia and more 
recently Korea activities are well 
advanced with strong political 
support. 
There ‘are ^ currently 'a number | of 
tentative steps being taken to 
explore the need for and viability of 
a Global GI. A number of meetings, 
mostly unofficial have taken place in 
many parts of the world over the past 
year, some of which have involved 
various members of EUROGI. The next 
such meeting will take place with 
invited delegates under our auspices 
in Bonn : hosted” by “our- German 
Association (DDGI) in September where 
some of the next steps will be 
discussed. It is also of 
significance that the UN and the 
World Bank have now become interested 
in these activities. It is important 
that Europe plays an appropriate role 
and EUROGI will work to ensure that 
it does. 
CONCLUSION 
We live in interesting times. Europe 
has the means but needs to 
demonstrate the political will to 
create a GI information 
infrastructure that will benefit the 
market-place and its citizens, a will 
that supports, stimulates and 
challenges private companies and 
public !'bodies!csto: invests:in:tthe 
creation and improvement of an EGII. 
EUROGI will play its part. 
International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXI, Part B6. Vienna 1996 
Th 
No 
WO 
fi 
da 
gr 
ex 
hi: 
ini 
Sp: 
Col 
The 
the 
to] 
SCé 
gre 
pr: 
up: 
Sti 
As: