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Mythology

Justsome

thoughts

The

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Author: Arnulf Christl

Who are we?Geospatial Systems Architect at metaspatial.● President of OSGeo● OGC Architecture Board Member ● OpenStreetMap Advocate

Founder of several companies and initiatives, provides consulting for SDI and travels a lot. 

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The Mythology of INSPIRE

The term "mythology" can refer either to the study of myths (e.g., comparative mythology), or to a body or collection of myths...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythology

INSPIRE is of the second type

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Technology vs. Politics

The mythology of INSPIRE grew with the fiction that a technical framework can solve an:

● otherwise● apparently● unsolvable

… political diversity.

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The Reality of INSPIRE

The result is that we now have ● a highly complicated and ● infamously rigid

… technical framework which does not solve the political problem.

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… because technology never was a suitable

tool to tacklepolitics.

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Common Misconceptions

INSPIRE comes in two tastes● Implementing Rules (legally binding)● Technical Guidelines

(recommendations that are not legally binding)

Nota Bene:

Data schemes are legally binding!

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Conforming to INSPIRE?

Technical Guidelines have conformance classes (software tests). Implementing Rules do not have conformance classes.

This means that software can only conform to the non legally binding aspects of INSPIRE?!?

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Communication Issues

Why does INSPIRE not work bottom-up (by being more open) or closer with existing working groups and organizations? ● Because INSPIRE is not a person● INSPIRE is not a community● and top-down● …

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The Structure of INSPIRE

INSPIRE was an inspiring idea … Now it is: ● a legal construct● technical framework ● top-down implementation● but not a community

INSPIRE has been designed by bureaucrats for bureaucracies to improve bureaucratic processes.

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How can INSPIRE Improve Communication?

● INSPIRE members need to identify themselves as a community with common interests

● INSPIRE members have to bring Change Request into existing standards processes

● INSPIRE members have to recognize INSPIRE as a chance and not as a legal threat that is best avoided

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Access to PSI

What INSPIRE forgot to address: ● INSPIRE does not address licensing● Access restriction is left to the data

providers● Technological changes are much

faster than legal processes

Social networks and participative government evolve much quicker than the seemingly innovative INSPIRE idea

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Know How

● Lack of information dissemination (top-down funnel effect) results in an information pile-up

● There is too little Know-How available at the implementing level

● Lack of Know-How at the technical level of the data providers thwarts efforts of building working infrastructure

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Authoritative Data!

INSPIRE could become the source for authoritative data. Questions to address:● How to document authoritative data?● How to make the know-how available

required to get Things Done?● How to integrate INSPIRE with

community projects?● How to make INSPIRE really useful to

the citizen?

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Copyright: Arnulf Christl, metaspatial. This slide set is copyrighted to the commons

The annual Conference on Free and Open Source Software

for Geospatial With friendly support by:

Thank you for your Attention!

http://www.metaspatial.net