Context

Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), through the New Zealand Geospatial Office (NZGO), is committed to working in partnership with central and local government, academia, businesses and the open data community to deliver a formal Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) over the next three years. 

The development of an SDI also aligns with broader government initiatives such as the open government information and data re-use work programme.

In December 2010 Cabinet agreed¹  that Land Information New Zealand lead the development of a more formalised SDI for New Zealand, with the New Zealand Geospatial Office designated as a consultative resource.

Cabinet also agreed that government agencies be directed to support and be involved in a collaborative way with LINZ and the NZGO as the national SDI framework is developed and realised. This cookbook contains initial guidance to help recognise or implement components that will contribute towards New Zealand’s SDI.

There are many benefits of an SDI for New Zealand, including the potential for significant economic gains. Geospatial information is widely used in New Zealand and already contributes over $1.2 billion a year to the economy².  

It also forms a key part of New Zealand’s knowledge infrastructure and enables innovation and better decision-making. Removing key barriers to connecting this information could add a further $500 million a year in productivity benefits and generate an extra $100 million in government revenue. 

In December 2010, LINZ through the New Zealand Geospatial Office released a video  which describes SDI in everyday terms and highlights the practical implications of these benefits.

You can watch the video on the LINZ website.

A national SDI represents a comprehensive system of inter-related elements involving governance structures, policy, standards, data, hardware, software, and people across all levels of their organisations.  This cookbook therefore has been structured with chapters that touch on these various elements to create a context for participation.

Cookbook Objectives

The design and implementation of a national SDI represents an ongoing journey which will move us from an ‘introductory’ state, with a focus on adoption and increased participation, through to a ‘formal’ SDI where participation is widespread and the emphasis is on improving the components and benefits of that involvement. 

This cookbook includes initial technical guidance to help organisations recognise and implement components that can contribute towards New Zealand’s SDI. In its current form this document provides context and guidance for the introductory phase of the SDI, describing minimum requirements to help support participation at this early stage. 

Intended audience

The primary audience for this initial version of the cookbook comprises technical management leads in government agencies, local councils and other organisations seeking to participate in the national SDI and who are currently at the early stages of that journey.

This includes a range of disciplines; GIS professionals, data analysts, business analysts, enterprise architects, information and solution architects, programme and procurement managers.

While the material within this cookbook will be particularly relevant for those responsible for the implementation of geospatial systems within their organisation, others will also find it valuable.  Because an SDI can generate positive changes to organisational structure, influence business plans, and enable significant workflow improvements, managers are also likely to benefit from this guidance. The material describing data stewardship and custodianship responsibilities, and how organisations can generally gain from SDI participation, will for instance resonate with those concerned with business outcomes. Components of this cookbook are also intended to facilitate procurement by providing information that can be readily included in tender documents.

Once realised, a formal national SDI will reflect participation and input from the entire New Zealand geospatial industry.  So too should the guidance in support of that SDI represent a collaborative effort.  In that spirit, the material included in this release of the cookbook has been developed by NZGO staff together with input from other central government agencies, local authorities, academia, members of the open data community and private sector organisations. For that valuable assistance we are most grateful.

As the NZ SDI evolves to a more formal state, this cookbook will also change to reflect guidance befitting a more mature implementation. 

Along with the rest of the team at the New Zealand Geospatial Office, I look forward to continuing to work together with you and your organisations to establish and grow an effective infrastructure for our country’s geospatial information.

Kevin Sweeney, GISP
Geospatial Custodian
ksweeney@linz.govt.nz

New Zealand Geospatial Office
Land Information New Zealand

Comment via the SDI Cookbook blog post here

¹ http://www.linz.govt.nz/geospatial-office/about/projects-and-news/spatial-data-infrastructure/
² http://www.geospatial.govt.nz/productivityreport/

Download Introduction (PDF 30KB)

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