2. INSPIRE vision
Data should be collected once and maintained at the level where this can be done most effectively
it should be possible to combine seamlessly spatial information from different sources across Europe and share it between many users and application
it should be possible for information collected at one level to be shared between all the different levels, detailed for detailed investigations, general for strategic purposes
geographic information needed for good governance at all levels should be abundant under conditions that do not refrain its extensive use
it should be easy to discover which geographic information is available, fits the needs for a particular use and under which conditions it can be acquired and used
geographic data should become easy to understand and interpret because it is properly documented and can be visualised within the appropriate context selected in a user-friendly way

3. Examples of Problems Lack of use of standards incompatible information
incompatible information systems
fragmentation of information
overlap
Lack of co-ordination
across boarders
between levels of government that are the main data providers
Lack of data
Data policy restrictions
pricing, copyright, access rights, licensing policy

4. Differences in national heights
GI standardisation: Need of a European Vertical Reference System
Differences between UELN heights and national heights in Europe (in cm)
United European Levelling Network  (UELN)

5. Need for action: INSPIRE
Required by 6EAP
earth monitoring, policy evaluation, indicators, Aarhus
Geographic information is increasing used to support environmental policy (knowledge-based approach)
urban waste water, nitrates, thematic strategies, air quality monitoring, noise, ...
Explicitly required by WFD
Provide river basin characterisation in GIS format
All this information is linked to the same thing: our territory, but without co-ordination, it will be very difficult to combine this information and a lot of its potential will be lost.
The train has started with the WFD : we need to make sure it goes into the right direction
Action:
-> INSPIRE = legislation
-> GMES is practical and financial support
Without a co-ordinated framework: problems will persist !

6. Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe
Technical Support
to GI policy
development
Europe is moving 3cm/ year
Different Policies and standards
Standards implementation
GI Institutional
framework
GI technical
standards
Different sea level in Europe
Spatial Data Infrastructure
Catchments
Technical Support
To data set creation
GIS for Natura 2000
Spatial
Information
Services
Meteo data
Fundamental
and thematic GI data sets
GIS to manage Natura2000 sites
Needs to create european spatial data sets
eEurope : eGovernement on line
Land Cover

7. The INSPIRE driving forces
DG ENV
COGI
Main Commission DG’s (AGRI, TREN, REGIO, FISH, INFSO, …)
European Spatial Planning Observatory Network (ESPON) is one of the twelve measures for implementing the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP). The aim of the Observatory is to provide the necessary database to encourage the harmonious development of the entire Community, as laid down in Article 158 of the EC Treaty, and to clarify the concept of territorial cohesion referred to in Article 16 of the Treaty. ESPON activities rely on networking between the Member States (research institutes, public authorities).
The European Topic Centre on Terrestrial Environment (ETC-TE) is one of five Topic Centres designated by the European Environment Agency (EEA) for the period to assist in its work of collecting, analysing, evaluating and summarising information relevant to national and international policies for the environment and sustainable development. The ETC-TE is currently co-founded by the Environment Department of Catalonian Government and the Spanish Ministry of Environment. The ETC-TE will concentrate on providing relevant information on past trends, current status and prospective developments relating to land and soil in Europe, in order to support legislative frameworks on sustainable land use, soil protection and integrated coastal zone management. These are priority issues, included in the 6th Environmental Action Programme and the Sustainable Development Strategy. They will be developed further through specific thematic strategies (on soil, land use and urban environment).
INSPIRE Expert Group
Member States Environmental and geographic information ministries, Accession countries, Regions, EFTA Countries, Umbrella organisations, ETC/TE, ESPON, UNEP

8. INSPIRE objectives
Make relevant, harmonised spatial data available for Community Environmental Policy (formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation) and for the citizen ...
… through the establishment of integrated spatial information services, based upon a distributed network of databases, linked by common standards and protocols to ensure compatibility.

9. INSPIRE Thematic Components COGI INSPIRE Expert Group
Chair: ESTAT
INSPIRE Expert Group
Chair : DG ENV & ESTAT
Phase 1: Environmental Sector
Technical Co-ordination & Secretariat
JRC Ispra - Institute for Environment and Sustainability
…..
biodiversity
soils
seveso
urban
noise
forest
water
Environmental
components
Common Reference
Data & Metadata
Chair : ESTAT
Inter-sectoral
co-ordination
Chair: ESTAT
Environmental
thematic
co-ordination
Chair: EEA
Architecture
& Standards
Chair : JRC Ispra
Agricultural
components
Legal Aspects
& Data Policy
Chair : UK
Agricultural
thematic
co-ordination
Chair:
Funding &
Implementation
structures
Chair : SE
Transport
components
Transport
thematic
co-ordination
Chair:
Impact
Analysis
Chair : NL
Other
components
Other
thematic
co-ordination
Chair:
Horizontal
Components
INSPIRE
Phase 2: other sectors

10. > 70 Experts mobilised today!
INSPIRE Expert Group
2nd Meeting Vienna
Action plan agreed
Composition of Working groups decided
> 70 Experts mobilised today!

11. INSPIRE timeline Orientation papers by Working groups
April 2002
Orientation papers by Working groups
June 2002
Position papers by Working groups and user requirements
September 2002
Draft INSPIRE Framework Legislation
December 2002
Proposal for INSPIRE Framework Legislation adopted by Commission
2003
Preparation of daughters
2004
INSPIRE Framework Legislation adopted
Time is running

12. INSPIRE: Example of result
Natura2000 sites
Natura2000 db species, habitats
LIFE Nature project locations
Areas eligible for Structural
Funds (Ob. I,II)
CORINE Land Cover
Administrative Regions
Agri-environment schemes
Scale 1/ explain concept of layers
LIFE Nature Projects – e.g. LIFE99/NAT/UK/6086 – point locations of projects funded under the LIFE Instrument (often, but not always, linked to Natura2000 sites)
Countryside Stewardship schemes – a type of Agri-Environmental measure, which for the UK have been georeferenced as points -> given by MS
Special Protection Areas – the sites which should become part of the Natura2000 network as defined by the Birds Directive – 2 examples of which can be seen here – Breighton Meadows and Humber Flats (Site Code UK ). In this application, this code was used as the link to the Natura2000 Descriptive Database, in which information about the site characteristics (administrative and ecological are stored).
Structural Funds – these areas, defined by DG Regional Policy, can be used as a check for cross compliance between Regional initiatives and Nature Protection. (GISCO)
Commune boundaries and CORINE are presented as examples of the few European background datasets currently available – these are essential to give geographic context to the display of the Natura2000 sites.
What is equally important from an INSPIRE point of view is the data that are missing at this scale at European level (roads, rivers, elevation etc.).