United NationsUnited NationsSpatial Data Spatial Data

InfrastructureInfrastructure

Dr Kristin StockDr Kristin StockSocial Change Online andSocial Change Online and

Centre for Geospatial Science, Centre for Geospatial Science, University of NottinghamUniversity of Nottingham

IntroductionIntroduction

• The UN has many important goals:The UN has many important goals:– the quest for peace;the quest for peace;– advancing health, education, well being of advancing health, education, well being of

children, women, the disadvantaged;children, women, the disadvantaged;– reducing poverty and improving food reducing poverty and improving food

security;security;– safeguarding the environment andsafeguarding the environment and– advancing sustainable development.advancing sustainable development.

• Big challenges, and potentially big Big challenges, and potentially big rewards… rewards…

OutlineOutline

• Background to the UNSDI – why Background to the UNSDI – why does it matter?does it matter?

• Major issues in the architecture of Major issues in the architecture of the UNSDI.the UNSDI.

• The UNSDI: a hierarchy of SDIs.The UNSDI: a hierarchy of SDIs.

UNSDI Business DriversUNSDI Business Drivers• Provision of spatial data and information:Provision of spatial data and information:

– cartographic data, imagery, GIS services;cartographic data, imagery, GIS services;– thematic data to support sustainability;thematic data to support sustainability;– global and regional environmental observation global and regional environmental observation

and assessmentand assessment– emergency response and disaster preparedness.emergency response and disaster preparedness.

• Development of common data services to:Development of common data services to:– promote reuse;promote reuse;– adopt/develop data standards and infrastructure.adopt/develop data standards and infrastructure.

• Capacity building:Capacity building:– internal and with member states.internal and with member states.

• Promotion of partnerships and cooperation.Promotion of partnerships and cooperation.

Key StakeholdersKey Stakeholders• Users and generators of spatial data sets – global Users and generators of spatial data sets – global

down to local/village scale.down to local/village scale.• UN Secretariat and various programmes, agencies, UN Secretariat and various programmes, agencies,

funds, members states, regional organisations, funds, members states, regional organisations, academia, not-for-profit.academia, not-for-profit.

• UN Geospatial Information Working Group UN Geospatial Information Working Group (UNGIWG).(UNGIWG).

• Main agencies (but there are many more):Main agencies (but there are many more):– Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO);Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO);– UN Environment Program (UNEP);UN Environment Program (UNEP);– World Food Program (WFP);World Food Program (WFP);– Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA);Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA);– Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO);Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO);– UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR);UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR);– World Food Program.World Food Program.

• Many of these agencies have different requirements.Many of these agencies have different requirements.

How is the UNSDI How is the UNSDI Unique?Unique?

• A loose collection of agencies – no central A loose collection of agencies – no central authority.authority.

• Must be collaborative.Must be collaborative.• Across jurisdictional boundaries.Across jurisdictional boundaries.• No budget, limited resources.No budget, limited resources.• Must be scalable.Must be scalable.• Must allow different implementation at different Must allow different implementation at different

levels of capability.levels of capability.• Not just about data sharing and technology, also Not just about data sharing and technology, also

promotion of cooperation and capacity building.promotion of cooperation and capacity building.

UNSDI Architecture UNSDI Architecture ObjectivesObjectives

• Aims to establish a coherent Aims to establish a coherent umbrella architecture containing umbrella architecture containing essential interoperable components.essential interoperable components.

• Reuse! Reuse! Reuse! - by different Reuse! Reuse! Reuse! - by different agencies at different times, scales agencies at different times, scales and for different purposes.and for different purposes.

• No one-size fits all solution – No one-size fits all solution – different implementation paths and different implementation paths and solutions for different participants.solutions for different participants.

UNSDI Issues - UNSDI Issues - GovernanceGovernance

• Governance of each component is very Governance of each component is very important given the autonomy of important given the autonomy of participants:participants:– Who maintains this component?Who maintains this component?– For what purpose?For what purpose?– What is its lifecycle?What is its lifecycle?– What resource dependencies exist?What resource dependencies exist?– What resources are available to support use?What resources are available to support use?– What technical risks are involved in use?What technical risks are involved in use?– What are the risks associated with change?What are the risks associated with change?– Who else is likely to use the same component?Who else is likely to use the same component?– What are the costs now?What are the costs now?

UNSDI Issues – Digital UNSDI Issues – Digital Rights ManagementRights Management

• Data captured by many different Data captured by many different agencies, for many different purposes, agencies, for many different purposes, funded by donors.funded by donors.

• Agencies are responsible for ensuring:Agencies are responsible for ensuring:– legitimate use of restricted data;legitimate use of restricted data;– intellectual property;intellectual property;– providence is well described;providence is well described;– accreditation for contributed content andaccreditation for contributed content and– fitness for purpose.fitness for purpose.

UNSDI Issues – Data UNSDI Issues – Data RequirementsRequirements

• Must involve reusable, standardised Must involve reusable, standardised data models.data models.

• Should be modularised to allow Should be modularised to allow extension and reuse.extension and reuse.

• Must ensure semantic interoperability, Must ensure semantic interoperability, particularly important due to particularly important due to heterogeneity of data users.heterogeneity of data users.

• Semantically rich Feature Type Semantically rich Feature Type Catalogues.Catalogues.

UNSDI Issues – Capacity UNSDI Issues – Capacity BuildingBuilding

• Important to propagate SDI Important to propagate SDI principles to new domains.principles to new domains.

• Nations vary widely in their levels of Nations vary widely in their levels of development.development.

• It must be possible for nations with It must be possible for nations with little existing infrastructure to join in little existing infrastructure to join in an evolutionary or revolutionary an evolutionary or revolutionary way.way.

The UNSDI: A Hierarchy of The UNSDI: A Hierarchy of SDIs (1)SDIs (1)

• There are many existing SDIs: local, There are many existing SDIs: local, regional, national.regional, national.

• The UNSDI will not duplicate these The UNSDI will not duplicate these SDIs.SDIs.

• The UNSDI will be a multi-tier SDI, The UNSDI will be a multi-tier SDI, creating a hierarchy of existing creating a hierarchy of existing national, local and domain-specific national, local and domain-specific SDIs.SDIs.

The UNSDI: A Hierarchy of The UNSDI: A Hierarchy of SDIs (2)SDIs (2)

• Data and DRM will be available through all Data and DRM will be available through all of the SDIs, as well as the global UNSDI.of the SDIs, as well as the global UNSDI.

• Tools and data standards will propagate Tools and data standards will propagate downwards, but not necessarily enforcing downwards, but not necessarily enforcing conformance. For example:conformance. For example:– Discovery tools will cascade downwards to Discovery tools will cascade downwards to

interrogate the content of registries of sub-interrogate the content of registries of sub-SDIs.SDIs.

– Mappings among data standards will be stored Mappings among data standards will be stored in relevant sub-SDI registries to ensure that in relevant sub-SDI registries to ensure that data from different sub-SDIs can be interpreted data from different sub-SDIs can be interpreted and integrated.and integrated.

The UNSDI: A Hierarchy of The UNSDI: A Hierarchy of SDIs (3)SDIs (3)

• Hierarchical Registries:Hierarchical Registries:– Each resource publishes to only one registry Each resource publishes to only one registry

and is subject to only the governance of that and is subject to only the governance of that registry.registry.

• Inheritance:Inheritance:– Some standards and governance rules may be Some standards and governance rules may be

inherited from SDIs in a higher tier.inherited from SDIs in a higher tier.– This will only be appropriate in some This will only be appropriate in some

situations, as some sub-SDIs will already exist situations, as some sub-SDIs will already exist and have their own governance and standards and have their own governance and standards in place.in place.

pkg Another View

ISO19115

+ CI_ResponsibleParty

e.g. ANZLIC ISO19115 metadata profile or profiles for particular States or TerritoriesThese could be specialisations of each other (e.g. a State profile could bea profile of the ANZLIC proile)

DomainMetadataProfile

Gov ernanceStructure

JurisdictionalGov ernanceProfileJurisdictionalMetadataProfile

DomainGov ernanceProfileConceptualSchema

+ FeatureTypeCatalog

ApplicationSchema

e.g. ICSM HDF

e.g. ICSM HDF Application Schema for a particular data set

ISOSchemaMetaModel

Serv iceTypes

+ 2DRegularCoverage

+ ConcreteFeatureType

+ Coverage

+ FeatureLocatedInCRS

+ GeneralFeatureModel

+ ServiceInstance

+ SimpleFeature

+ WCS

+ WFS

+ WMS

+ WPS

+ ISO19119_ServicesMetaModel

+ MessageDataTypes

+ OGCServiceTypes

+ ProcessingAffordanceTypes

+ ServiceProfiles

+ WSDLSignatures

Serv iceProfile

+ QueryTemplates

Vocabularies

Could be used by any of the profiles or schemas so links are implicit.

Could we imply this by stereotyping profile packages?

If we bind vocab to attributes within conceptiual schema then is visible in FTC derived

This implies that query model itself is part of data product specification and possibly part of conceptual schema?

DataProductSpecification

+ FeatureCatalogReport

+ Metadata

+ ServiceDeliveryRequirements

+ UMLDomainModel

CommonDomainModel

e.g. WRON governance structures.

QueryModel

Query is bound to a service type for a particular Data Products

«realize» «realize»

«import»

«import»

«import»

«import»

«import»

«import»

«import»

«realize»

«realize» «realize» «realize»

«realize» «realize»

«realize»«realize»

UNSDI – Key StandardsUNSDI – Key Standards• None of this will be possible without None of this will be possible without

standards.standards.• Especially important for the hierarchical Especially important for the hierarchical

architecture:architecture:– Standards for registry structure (ebRIM, Standards for registry structure (ebRIM,

CSW, WRS);CSW, WRS);– Standards for Feature Type Catalogues (ISO Standards for Feature Type Catalogues (ISO

19109, 19110) – currently working to extend 19109, 19110) – currently working to extend these standards to expand semantic richness.these standards to expand semantic richness.

– Standards for data content (GML Application Standards for data content (GML Application Schemas).Schemas).

– Ontologies...Ontologies...

ConclusionsConclusions

• A hierarchy is the most appropriate A hierarchy is the most appropriate architecture for the UNSDI:architecture for the UNSDI:– takes advantage of independent SDIs;takes advantage of independent SDIs;– provides flexible options for participation;provides flexible options for participation;– ‘‘light touch’light touch’– allows for local ownership and capacity allows for local ownership and capacity

building andbuilding and– maximises reuse.maximises reuse.

• Standards are key.Standards are key.