CoastGIS’99: geomatics and coastal environment
Key issues
Improving access to data and information
The need for better access to data and information is especially important
in the UK as marine and coastal data are widely distributed amongst a
variety of organizations and the users of data are widely dispersed across
the country. The issue of access to appropriate data can be split into three
areas.
Awareness of available data
Because so many different organizations are involved in generating
marine and coastal zone information it is often difficult to establish what
data are helcl and by whom. There may be a perception of a lack of data,
where in fact data do already exist. This lack of awareness calls for more
effective use of metadata, i.e. information about data. A protocol needs
to be developed whereby data owners have responsibility for attaching
metadata as standard procedure. A central metadata directory could
subsequently be provided which would be accessed via an Internet
gateway, for example.
Availability
A further barrier is the lack of availability of some types of data; once
users are aware of which data exist, they need to be able to access it.
The most pertinent issue in the UK appears to be obtaining data from
publicly funded bodies, such as the Ordnance Survey and the UK Hydrographic Office. Because the data from such organizations is expected
to generate significant revenue, it is consequently only available at a
high, and often unrealistic, cost to users. Alternatively, data may not
be widely available as they are viewed as commercially sensitive, as is
the case with much privately held fisheries data in the UK.
The way forward, therefore, lies in promoting better access to data held
by public and commercial organizations by:
- using the Internet to provide pathways to information;
- providing cheaper and more timely access to publicly funded data;
- promoting a culture change within organizations to encourage them
to allow access to commercial information;
- resolving issues relating to ownership/licensing/confidentiality/copyrighr;
- developing strategic rules for data provision and archiving.
Fit for purpose
Once users are aware of the data available to them, the final requirement
is that it is fit for the purpose for which it is needed. Data lose potential
value if not recorded in an easily re-useable formar. There may be a lack
of compatibility, for example, between the quality control or sampling
procedures used for different projects. In addition, different users will
have different requirements for scale and currency of data. The introduction of standard guidelines would contribute greatly to a more
integrated approach, and could extend to recommendations for standard
data types and software.
60
Key issues
Improving access to data and information
The need for better access to data and information is especially important
in the UK as marine and coastal data are widely distributed amongst a
variety of organizations and the users of data are widely dispersed across
the country. The issue of access to appropriate data can be split into three
areas.
Awareness of available data
Because so many different organizations are involved in generating
marine and coastal zone information it is often difficult to establish what
data are helcl and by whom. There may be a perception of a lack of data,
where in fact data do already exist. This lack of awareness calls for more
effective use of metadata, i.e. information about data. A protocol needs
to be developed whereby data owners have responsibility for attaching
metadata as standard procedure. A central metadata directory could
subsequently be provided which would be accessed via an Internet
gateway, for example.
Availability
A further barrier is the lack of availability of some types of data; once
users are aware of which data exist, they need to be able to access it.
The most pertinent issue in the UK appears to be obtaining data from
publicly funded bodies, such as the Ordnance Survey and the UK Hydrographic Office. Because the data from such organizations is expected
to generate significant revenue, it is consequently only available at a
high, and often unrealistic, cost to users. Alternatively, data may not
be widely available as they are viewed as commercially sensitive, as is
the case with much privately held fisheries data in the UK.
The way forward, therefore, lies in promoting better access to data held
by public and commercial organizations by:
- using the Internet to provide pathways to information;
- providing cheaper and more timely access to publicly funded data;
- promoting a culture change within organizations to encourage them
to allow access to commercial information;
- resolving issues relating to ownership/licensing/confidentiality/copyrighr;
- developing strategic rules for data provision and archiving.
Fit for purpose
Once users are aware of the data available to them, the final requirement
is that it is fit for the purpose for which it is needed. Data lose potential
value if not recorded in an easily re-useable formar. There may be a lack
of compatibility, for example, between the quality control or sampling
procedures used for different projects. In addition, different users will
have different requirements for scale and currency of data. The introduction of standard guidelines would contribute greatly to a more
integrated approach, and could extend to recommendations for standard
data types and software.
60