SDI in Greece

1
SDI in Greece
Poulicos Prastacos Director of
Research Institute of Applied and Computational
Mathematics Foundation for Research and
Technology-Hellas Hrakleion, Greece Poulicos_at_iacm
.forth.gr
2
Outline of presentation

• Institutional context
• The various agencies
• Alternative paths for the future

3
Institutional context

• A single agency responsible for implementing the
  SDI does not exist
• Several agencies/ministries involved with the
  production of data of their own interest
• Driver for the implementation of some standards
  is the Information Society organization
  responsible for distributing funds
• There is discussion for implementing INSPIRE
  standards

4
The Agencies

• Ministry of Public Works and the Environment
• OKXE Established in 1986 to be the Mapping
  Agency of Greece
• KTIMATOLOGIO SA Private company with one
  shareholder (OKXE) established to implement the
  cadaster
• EDPER Environmental information
• Various other agencies
• Ministry of Defense
• GYS Hellenic Military Geographical Service
  Traditionally the mapping agency of Greece
• YY Hellenic Navy Hydrographic Service

5
The Agencies

• Ministry of Agriculture
• Various agencies responsible for developing
  databases for forests, agriculture (grape, olive
  cadaster etc.)
• Ministry of National Economy
• ESYE Statistical office of Greece
• Information Society Organization for
  distributing the funds received from the EU
  (structural funds)
• Ministry of Development
• IGME Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration

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The survey

• 6 agencies filled questionnaires
• 2 agencies obtained most data from their web
• SDI in its formal name does not exist in any
  organization but in the last few years an effort
  has been made to start developing datasets and
  making them available to the public
• Significant effort is made at the city and
  regional level to develop GIS systems and
  establish a component that will permit
  dissemination of information to the general public

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The answers to the survey

• User groups
• Public agencies, public
• Technological level
• Mostly based on ESRI products, GEOMEDIA
  (Agriculture)
• Open source products are not used
• Originality, innovation
• Use of Inspire principles
• Only in few agencies
• Benefits beyond the usual benefits from SDI
• Ministry of Agriculture subsidies for farmers
• Ktimatologio SA HEPOS system

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The answers to the survey

• Extending it to other countries
• Could be extended if there are similar interests
• User feedback
• Nothing in written form
• Links to national SDI web page
• National sdi web page does not exist
• There are usually links from the home page of the
  ministry
• Language
• Only the web sites of GYS and YY are in English
  discussing the various products available
• Metadata
• Not available on-line
• Sometimes available off-line

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Some examples of good practices

• KTIMATOLOGIO SA
• Development of the HEPOS (Hellenic Positioning
  System)
• Aerial photography of the whole country and
  orthophotomaps that could be distributed to
  other public agencies
• Statistical Service of Greece
• Establishment of policies to distribute city road
  maps at a relatively low cost
• GYS
• Development of a web site describing fully their
  products and giving the capability to users to
  order products on line

10
The future

• Greece has lost some time in developing an SDI
  for various reasons (lack of clear objectives,
  funds, bureaucracy, myopic stakeholders )
• However, the problems are not insurmountable
• The problems are not technological but
  institutional arising from the lack to address
  the issue of map availability and distribution
  (SDI) in a cooperative way
• There is a need to address the problems that
  exist and take decisions at high levels of
  government and break the barriers that exist
  among various agencies of the various ministries

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Alternative paths

• OKXE finally becomes the mapping agency not only
  in words but also in reality
• It is designated as the responsible organization
  and with funding coming mostly from the EU (ESPA)
  new maps are developed
• All agencies remain independent and somehow a
  memorandum of cooperation is established
• Private contractors do the various tasks and
  deliver the products to the public agencies
• Public agencies responsible for maintenance etc.

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Alternative paths

• OKXE establishes a private company
• OKXE responsible but similar to the cadaster
  system a private company wholly owned by the
  Ministry is established to develop the SDI
• Could be Ktimatologio SA
• This approach will permit quick decisions
• Funding from EU (if permitted)

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Alternative paths

• Public Private partnerships
• Private sector develops under strict rules the
  SDI and makes it available to the public sector
  and the public.
• Develops not only datasets but also tools needed
  in the various agencies
• Responsible for maintenance etc.
• Funding provided by the private sector (banks
  etc.) and the public sector pays every year a
  lump sum (not per use)

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Conclusions

• Presently there is no SDI in Greece
• However, significant efforts have been made in
  the last years
• There is need to take some decisions with respect
  who develops, who manages, who maintains the SDI.
  
• The failures of the last 20 years should be
  recognized and a new way of addressing the issues
  should prevail