Action 11602 - Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE)

	Differences between UELN heights and national heights in Europe (in cm)

Changing trains or changing tracks?

Consider traveling by train across Europe and having to change train at every national border because the distance between railway tracks is different from one country to the next. This was the case until recently in some countries of the Union. Fortunately, these differences have now been overcome and since 2001 we also have technical agreements backed by European law on other important aspects related to communications, operations, and maintenance that help create an integrated European railway infrastructure, and facilitate the free and safe movement of people and goods across the Union.Unfortunately, not all activities affecting our lives can rely on the existence of a similar infrastructure. Environmental phenomena for example have major impacts on the fabric and operations of our society. Flooding alone accounted for 43% of all major natural disasters in Europe during 1998-2002, resulting in the death of 700 people, the displacement of over half a million people, and uninsured economic losses of 25 billion euros. Earthquakes, wind storms, and droughts had similar devastating effects with major loss of human life, and economic damages. Because environmental phenomena do not stop at national boundaries, our ability to forecast, protect, and react must also be trans-national. To do this, we need a shared knowledge base that is currently missing. Therefore, the European Commission has proposed the establishment of an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE) to facilitate the exchange of environmental and geographic information relevant to policies and activities directly or indirectly affecting the environment. Central to INSPIRE is a concern to make better use of the data that is already available across Europe, but that it is often difficult to find, access, and use.

 

Specific objectives of the Action are:

The IES is playing a critical role in the development and implementation of INSPIRE, together with other Commission services like EUROSTAT and the Directorate General for the Environment.

In particular, the IES is responsible for:

- Scientific and Technical Coordination of INSPIRE: This involves preparing the technical rules that will facilitate a coherent implementation of INSPIRE across Europe. More specifically, the IES is responsible for the rules on the documentation of data resources, and the development of agreed specifications for key data sets, and for the internet-based services necessary to search, view, and download relevant data. To do so, the IES coordinates a broad network of experts coming from the Member States and thematic communities working in the environmental and geographic fields.

- Developing the EU Geo-Portal: This is an Internet-based facility providing a single point of entry to the environmental and geographic infrastructures maintained by the Member States, and the information resources developed by the Commission services or related organizations. The development of this portal has also an important testing function of existing standards, specifications, and technologies to ensure their operational effectiveness.

- Liaising with international initiatives and organizations: This activity ensures that INSPIRE is well connected with similar infrastructures developed in different regions of the world and that it can make best use of satellite-based data collection and applications in the environmental monitoring field. It also involves close cooperation with the European and international standardization bodies and with industrial consortia developing technical specifications.

 

Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS): The INSPIRE Action is responsible for maintaining a link between INSPIRE, Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), and GEOSS for Spatial Data Infrastructure-related issues.

Mr Alessandro Annoni has been nominated co-chair of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Architecture and Data Committee. His nomination will greatly facilitate a coordinated integration of Europe's contributions into GEOSS.

More information can be found on the INSPIRE action web site.

 

Contact Info

Paul Smits

Tel: (+39) 0332 785279   E-mail: paul.smits(at)jrc.it

 

Main customers

- DG Environment

- DG Eurostat

- DG Regional Policy

- DG Agriculture and Rural Development 

- DG Information Society and Media - DG Enterprise and Industry 

- European Environment Agency- European Space Agencies 

- European Union Satellite Centre - European and international geo-standardisation organisations (e.g. CEN, ISO, OGC) - INSPIRE Legally Mandated National Organisations (e.g. Ministries of Environment, Regional Public Authorities, Mapping Agencies, Statistical Institutes, Environmental Protection Agencies, Cadastres, Geological Surveys)

 

EU Legislation and Documents supported by this Action:

- INSPIRE Directive

- United Nations’ Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

- Directive 2003/98/EC on the reuse of public sector information

- Sixth Environmental Action Programme of the European Community 2001-10

- Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC

- Global Monitoring for Environment and Security COM (2005) 565

 

Relevant links:

INSPIRE

European Geoportal

Image 2000 & Corine Land Cover 2000 project

 

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