! 1!

The$future$of$Geo$Information$in$e0Government$in$the$Netherlands$

Reinout$Holtrup$2014$

Location$Information$is$crucial$to$governments.$‘Government’+is+by+the+free+dictionary.com+defined+as:"“The"act"or"process"of"

governing,"especially"the"control"and"administration"of"public"policy"in"a"political"unit.”"Thus+the+government+has+two+functions:"+to+control+and+to+administrate.+According+to+merriam=webster.com,+a+‘political+unit’+is+“a"unit"of"territory"defined"by"boundaries"set"by"political"authority"and"usually"having"a"separate"political"organization.”"The+government+is+thus+defined+as+an+authority+that+has+the+function+to+control+and+administrate+a+territory.+A+territory+is+a+geographical+unit.++

Geo+Information+Science+(GIS)+is+about+answering+geographical+questions.+Some+of+the+topics+in+GIS+are+about+collecting,+storing+and+retrieving+location+information+in+geographical+databases.+

Governments+could+benefit+from+location+information,+stored+in+databases,+because+it+sustains+the+government’s+role+in+controlling+an+administrating+a+territory.+

Since+the+population+and+the+territory+of+a+government+are+really+big+and+the+number+of+governmental+task+increases+and+the+number+of+people+in+control+decreases,+the+governments+need+proper+tools+to+fulfil+their+tasks+in+an+efficient+way.+This+is+why+location+information+is+crucial+to+governments+and+why+GIS+is+needed.+

The$applications$and$benefits$of$location$information$Location+information+gives+shape+within+the+public+sector.+The+applications+and+

benefits+of+location+information+depend+on+the+type+of+relationship+between+the+users.+(Vancauwenberghe+2010)+Basically+there+are+three+different+relationships+within+the+public+sector:+government=to=government+(G2G),+Government=to=Citizen+(G2C)+and+Government=to=business+(G2B).+(Fang+2003)+

Vancauwenberghe+cited+in+his+paper+at+first+a+G2G+application:+“Public"organizations"make"use"of"location"information"to"create"zoning"maps,"to"find"optimal"locations"for"business"and"other"facilities,"to"map"and"analyse"crime"patterns"and"to"inventory,"and"manage"roads"and"utilities"(Onsrud"et"al."2005;"Masser"2010)”.++

Second+he+claims:+“Citizens"and"companies"now"have"the"ability"to"find"information"on"traffic"congestion,"air"quality,"health"and"safety"issues,"or"weather"information.”"and"“Some"examples"are"online"applications"for"agricultural"subsidies,"the"digital"registration"of"real"property"rights"and"online"services"that"enable"citizens"and"businesses"to"report"errors"and"problems"in"their"local"community”."A+final+application+he+mentions+is+:"“to"consult"citizens"and"actively"involve"them"in"decision"making.”"These+are+G2C+and+G2B+applications.+

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! 2!

The$requirements$to$enable$location$information$in$e0Government$Access+to+location+information+should+be+improved.+(Vancauwenberghe+2010)+

This+requires+methods+to+streamline+the+collecting+and+the+exchange+of+data+and+by+improving+the+usability+and+handling+of+data.+

The+exchange+of+data+could+be+streamlined+by+standardization,+by+using+core+reference+data+and+by+allowing+data+to+be+used+outside+of+the+primary+processes+in+which+this+information+was+created.+(Vancauwenberghe+2010)+

As+a+second+requirement+Vancauwenberghe+claims:+“The"recognition"of"a"dataset"as"reference"data,"should"be"part"of"an"official"procedure.”"Supervising+this+procedure+should+thus+be+a+governmental+task.++

Another+requirement+is+that+the+society+becomes+aware+of+the+potential+of+location+information+and+that+it+develops+the+ability+to+use+it.+

The$key$players$in$the$field$of$location$information$in$e0Government$in$the$Netherlands$

Related+to+location+information+in+e=Government+there+are+basically+three+key+players:+The+government,+citizens+and+companies.+

In+the+Netherlands+there+are+basically+three+levels+of+government:+The+federal+level,+the+provincial+level,+and+the+municipal+level.+The+ministry+of+the+Interior+and+Kingdom+Relation+is+responsible+for+the+overall+development+of+eGovernment+policy+and+strategy.+The+eGovenments+for+business+remain+under+the+responsibility+of+the+Minister+of+Economic+Affairs,+Agriculture+and+Innovation.+The+Government+ICT+Unit+is+responsible+for+the+concrete+implementation.+Logius+maintains+the+ICT+solutions+and+common+standards+that+simplify+the+communication+between+authorities,+citizens+and+businesses.+The+Court+of+Audit+and+the+Data+Protection+Authority+carry+out+audits+and+supervise+the+use+of+personal+data.+(epractise.eu)+

Geonovum+makes+geo=information+of+the+government+accessible+and+creates+standards+needed+to+realize+that.+The+way+location+information+is+used+differs+among+the+levels+of+government.+While+in+the+higher+levels+location+information+is+used+to+make+decisions+about+high+cost,+large+scale,+long=term+problems,+at+lower+level+decisions+are+mostly+made+about+low+cost,+small=scale+long+and+short=term+problems.+This+means+that+the+data+requirements+are+also+different.+

The+European+Commission+has+launched+“Inspire”+as+the+new+statutory+European+standard+for+geo=information+infrastructure.+It+allows+access+to+geo+information+of+good+quality,+makes+it+findable+and+usable,+also+across+borders.+To+realise+this+a+network+has+been+created+that+consists+of+European+and+national+internet+portals.+These+portals+allow+access+not+only+to+governments,+but+also+to+businesses+and+companies.+Inspire+has+some+basic+principles+that+makes+this+possible.+Inspire+has+34+themes+for+geo=information.+(Geonovum+wiki)+

The+citizens+are+also+mentioned+to+have+benefits+in+improvement+of+location+information+in+e=Government,+although+the+awareness+is+pretty+low.+Wijngaert+(2011)+published+in+his+paper+that+on+the+subject+of+online+citizen+participation+services,+the+high+amount+of+43%+of+responders+didn’t+even+know+if+they+had+ever+used+an+online+participation+service+module+of+eGovernment.+Most+popular+uses+that+were+mentioned+are+reporting+neighbourhood+problems+and+online+petitions.++

By+looking+up+the+statistics+of+the+biggest+websites+that+provide+these+services+it+can+be+confirmed+that+these+services+indeed+aren’t+very+popular.+Mayor+website+that+

! 3!

provide+these+services+are+verbeterdebuurt.nl+which+has+only+2504+monthly+visits+and+petities.nl+which+has+only+70.112+monthly+visits.+(urlm.nl)++

Companies+are+also+considered+to+be+key+players+in+the+field+of+location+information+in+eGovernment.+Most+companies+that+buy+or+sell+products+need+to+know+where+their+potential+clients+or+target+areas+are+located.+To+stimulate+the+development+of+new+products,+the+governments+offers+as+much+as+information+as+possible+to+entrepreneurs+as+open+data.+(kadaster.nl)+Location+information+allows+companies+to+make+better+predictions+about+risks+and+opportunities+influenced+by+geographical+parameters.+Companies+have+to+spend+a+lot+of+time+on+communication+with+the+government.+By+adding+spatial+attributes+to+for+example+a+license+request+form,+an+automatic+license+could+be+generated+by+the+government,+in+which+conditions+for+a+specific+location+can+be+automatically+added.+The+faster+and+easier+requesting+of+licenses+allows+business+to+start+earlier.+

There+are+several+research+groups+related+to+location+services+in+eGovernment.++One+of+them+is:+Center+for+eGovernment+studies,+a+research+group+of+the+

university+of+Twente.+(CFES)+Research+topics+are:+“Goals,"target"group"and"service”,"“Partnership"in"governmental"organisations”,"“Stimulating"and"controlling"innovation”"and"“Accessibility"of"governmental"services”."According+tot+heir+website+(CFES)

Amsterdam.nl$as$an$example$of$application$of$location$based$services$in$E0Government$in$the$Netherlands$

Amsterdam.nl+has+about+800.000+visits+every+month.+(urlm.nl)+The+municipality+of+Amsterdam+is+considered+to+be+one+of+the+leading+municipalities+when+it+comes+to+eGovernment+in+the+Netherlands.++

On+the+website+of+Amsterdam+you+can+find+a+lot+of+location+information+topics.+The+main+page+of+the+website+of+the+municipality+of+Amsterdam+contains+an+interactive+map.+Browsing+to+the+subdomain+http://maps.amsterdam.nl+shows+links+to+all+kinds+of+maps+of+the+municipality+of+Amsterdam+available+for+public+use.+The+user+could+choose+of+the+many+thematic+maps+and+switch+many+layers+on+and+of.+It+is+also+possible+to+use+the+so=called+“Grabbelkaart”.+In+which+you+can+turn+on+three+different+thematic+maps+at+once.+A+user+could+find+a+hotel+<50/night,+which+is+closely+located+to+a+bomb+drop+in+WW2+if+I+would+want+to.+

The+user+can+choose+about+many+different+interesting+maps,+including+sound+maps,+soil+quality+maps,+maps+of+the+use+of+electricity,+historical+maps+and+some+maps+you+wouldn’t+expect+in+a+city+as+Amsterdam+like+a+map+with+rare+bird+species+spots.++

The+data+provided+by+the+website+is+also+downloadable+as+open+data+in+a+CSV+or+KML+file.+This+allows+using+it+for+your+own+research+purposes.+

Not+all+data+that+the+municipality+of+Amsterdam+possesses+is+directly+displayed+in+this+map.+Citizen+register+information+is+not+shared+online.+This+makes+it+for+a+normal+citizen+impossible+to+find+for+example+all+people+with+a+specific+name+or+age+in+the+city.+The+government+actually+knows+who+lives+where+and+would+thus+be+able+to+retrieve+such+data+if+they+would+need+to+plan+a+public+service+for+a+specific+target+group.++

! 4!

Future$watch$of$location$information$in$eGovernment$In+the+document+“Meerjarenvisie+Geonovum+2014”+some+statements+are+made+

about+the+future+plans+of+Geonovum.+(See:+“The"key"players..”)"The+main+strives+are+keeping+up+with+new+developments+and+keeping+the+

standards,+easing+access+to+geo=information+and+sharing+knowledge+about+usability.+Some+of+these+developments+are+3D+geo=information,+linked+open+data+and+new+sensors.+

Geonovum+expects+the+government+to+decentralise,+leading+to+a+growing+demand+of+spatial+information+by+municipality+about+healthcare+and+environment.+Linking+geo=information+to+provide+meaningful+information+becomes+essential+in+2017.+(meerjarenvisie+Geonovum+2014)+

+“Geosamen”,+is+a+common+vision+of+the+government,+businesses+and+science+on+the+future+of+the+geosector+in+the+Netherlands.+It+is+a+summary+of+the+targets+in+the+geosector+for+2020:+

Geo+information+data+will+not+longer+be+a+valid=for=a=moment+snapshot,+but+will+provide+actual+data.+The+data+will+not+longer+be+static+but+will+be+dynamic.+Actual+weather+and+traffic+information+will+lower+the+number+of+traffic+jams,+by+smart+routing+cars.++

Data+will+transform+is+a+semantic+web+of+linked+data.+The+biggest+challenges+are+acquiring+meaningful+location+information+from+structured+and+unstructured+satellite+images.+In+the+meantime+the+role+of+the+citizen+as+an+information+producer+increases+by+capturing+smartphone+data+and+other+sensors.+

In+2020+more+people+will+live+in+urban+then+in+rural+areas.+This+requires+more+optimized+urban+planning.+With+limited+funds,+sustainable+welfare+should+be+realized+within+a+limited+space.+Location+information+will+be+very+important.+

Some+very+remarkable+developments+are+European+satellite+system+Galileo,+Earth+observation+system+Copernicus+and+data=infrastructure+INSPIRE.+The+European+information+policy+will+have+an+important+influence+on+the+Dutch+geo=policy.+Inspire+will+be+the+infrastructure,+standard+and+governance+for+the+“Omgevingswet”.+

Geosamen+also+predicts+the+decentralisation+of+the+government.+Citizens+and+business+will+more+often+taking+initiative+themselves+and+ICT+facilitations+will+provide+the+information+to+do+this+in+a+well=considered+way.+

The+offer+and+demand+in+healthcare,+(also+geographical)+will+be+tuned+and+location+history+will+be+added+to+the+digital+patients+register.+

Open+data+will+be+one+of+the+bounding+conditions+for+optimal+(re)use+of+public+funded+data+and+models.++ +

! 5!

The$conclusion$Location+information+is+crucial+to+governments+and+geo+Information+science+is+

needed+for+location+information+in+eGovernment.+Location+information+gives+shape+within+the+public+sector.+It+has+benefits+for+

government=to=government+relations,+but+also+for+government=to=business+and+government=citizen+relations.+

There+are+several+requirements+that+enable+location+information+in+eGovernment.+Capture,+exchange+and+data+handling+should+be+improved.+The+society+should+also+be+aware+to+use+spatial+information.+

Key+players+in+the+field+of+eGovernment+in+the+Netherlands+are:+federal+government,+the+provinces,+the+municipalities,+ICT+departments,+The+European+commission,+Geonovum,+citizens,+companies+and+research+groups.+

The+municipality+of+Amsterdam+is+pretty+far+when+it+comes+to+open+availability+of+data.+On+the+website+maps.amsterdam.nl+a+lot+of+different+thematic+maps+could+be+found,+managed+and+combined.+The+data+could+also+be+downloaded+for+use+in+your+own+GIS+applications.+

In+the+future+more+and+more+standardization+of+data+will+take+place.+Spatial+data+will+not+be+static,+but+dynamic.+This+will+allow+decision+making+on+real=time+data.+Spatial+data+will+become+more+valuable+due+decentralization+of+the+government+in+2020.+Because+of+Rural=urban+migration+and+limited+funds,+GIS+will+take+in+important+role+in+urban+planning+in+the+future.+

References:$Amsterdam+municipality+WWW+(nd)++acquired+at+5+December,+2014+from+http://www.amsterdam.nl+

CFES+WWW+(nd)++acquired+at+5+December,+2014+from+http://www.utwente.nl/ctit/cfes/+

Craglia,+M.+(2003).+GI+in+the+wider+Europe.+Retrieved+January+2013+from+GINIE+consortium:+http://www.ec=gis.org/document.cfm?id=477&db=document+

epractise.eu+(2011).+eGovernment+in+the+Netherlands+http://www.epractice.eu/files/eGovernmentTheNetherlands.pdf+

Geonovum+meerjarenvisie+(2014).+http://www.geonovum.nl/documenten/meerjarenvisie=en=strategie=2014=2018+

Geonovum+wiki+WWW+(nd).+Framework+van+geo=standaarden.+Acquired+at+5+December,+2014+from+http://wiki.geonovum.nl/index.php?title=1_Framework_geostandards+

GEOsamen+WWW+(nd).+Acquired+at+5+December,+2014+from+http://www.geonovum.nl/sites/default/files/GeoSamen=online.pdf+

Kadaster+WWW+(n.d.).+Acquired+at+5+December,+2014+from+http://www.kadaster.nl/web/Themas/Open=data=5/Het=Kadaster=en=open=data.htm+

Petities+WWW+(n.d.).+Acquired+at+5+December,+2014+from+http://www.petities.nl+

! 6!

Url+Metrics+WWW+(n.d).+acquired+at+5+December,+2014+from+http://urlm.nl/+

Vancauwenberghe,+C+(2014).+Location+Information+Strategies:+Bringing+Location+into+e=Government+[Electronic+version].+Public+Administration+and+Information+Technology+Volume+3,+2014,+65=82+

Verbeterdebuurt+WWW+(n.d.).+Acquired+at+5+December,+2014+from+http://www.verbeterdebuurt.nl+

Wijngaert,+L+(2011).+De+eOverheid+vanuit+gebruikers=+perspectief+[Electronic+version]+acquired+at+5+December,+2014+via+University+of+Twente,+Center+for+e=Government+Studies+Web+site:+http://www.utwente.nl/ctit/cfes/docs/Rapporten/2011_07_Gebruikersonderzoek.pdf+

+