[GRASSLIST:4696] [Freegis-list] proposed EC Directive on spatial data infrastructure

[Maciek Sieczka]

since Grass is the biggest open-sorce GIS solution I thought this message
could worthy of forwarding it here

(from the freegis-list)

-----Original Message-----
From: Jo Walsh
Sent: Friday, October 29, 2004 12:03 PM
To: freegis-list at intevation.de
Subject: [Freegis-list] proposed EC Directive on spatial data infrastructure

hello,

other EU open-source GIS hackers might be interested in the upcoming
proposed EC Directive on establishing a common spatial data infrastructure.
It lives at http://ec-gis.org/inspire/ , is in the committee codecision
stages right now and may get first reading in the EU parliament in spring
2005.

http://space.frot.org/docs/inspire_directive.html is my analysis of the
worst bits. INSPIRE ensures public 'viewing' of all data freely available.
(but not street/address data, which was removed from the original thematic
data list) Licensing and cost terms for state-collected data will be imposed
by the European Commission and their expert advisory group whih is
conveniently composed of natioanl mapping agency representatives. Work is
well underway at http://eurogeographics.org/ - the Directive is taken for
granted.

http://space.frot.org/docs/uninspired.html  are my notes towards an overview
document on 'why the INSPIRE terms are broken, and why European geographic
data should be free'  which i'd like to get in front of sympathetic national
and Euro MPs.

The geodata licensing industry is pretty much stitched up by the
semiprivatised agency here in the UK, they are leading the EU effort, the
government environment agency is lobbying industry to support the Directive,
and i'm not sure how much hope i have. Elsewhere in the EU the public sector
understanding of open source and standards seems better (e.g. the
netherlands, germany, denmark) and perhaps better opposition to this propsed
Directive, and the imposition of a common cost recovery policy for spatial
data, can be managed.

Please, at least, consider contacting your national representatives on the
Environment Committee in the EU parliament, and a national MP who may have
an understanding of what is at stake here.

I am looking to get organisations affected by this to make statements, and
try to collate research  about different countries policies and attitudes
towards open geographic data, and how it's affected by the Public Sector
Information Directive, on a multilingual wiki... i know this is just another
skirmish in the digital rights offensive, but i really think we might have a
chance if we fight it hard.


-jo
--
http://frot.org/devlog/