GI2000 Document Changes

The latest version of the draft Communication titled "GI2000: Towards a European Policy Framework for Geographic Information", is not yet publicly available (as is the case for most internal EC documents which are under development and internal consultation and not yet finalised). The main changes to the original GI2000 "Discussion Document", last published on November 1996, are summarised below. These changes are not yet official, as they are still subject to any further revisions requested by EC officials as part of the continuing internal (EC) consultation process.

New Introductory chapter.

The original document Summary is replaced by a new Introduction, explaining the market and its actors, including:

• the importance of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) as development potential;
• for GI, the main actors are from the public sector, with growing importance of the private sector;
• the European geomatic's market has a potential turnover of 20 billion ECU, and potential employment of 300,000 people, in which data related activities (i.e. collection, dissemination and conversion) accounts for an estimated 60% of the activity;
• why a GI2000 policy framework is needed to help establish a more favourable environment to enable sustainable development of the market.

The political context.

Emphasis is placed on:

• the potential for GI to contribute to economic growth and job creation;
• Central European countries need appropriate GI infrastructure, political and legal frameworks to better integrate into the EU;
• the need for global co-ordination and harmonisation between all levels of GI use, from local to regional to global;
• the necessity to create synergy between EC initiatives, e.g. GNSS, CEO, satellite earth observation action plan.

The opportunities and challenges for Europe.

New information has been added and earlier text has been improved regarding:

• the growing importance of the GI market, both for public and private data, in which advances in ICT are facilitating data exchange;
• complementary aspects of the GPS, Earth observation and GI markets;
• the continuing "evolution" of the public sector, e.g. in regard to data issues, the cost reduction and cost recovery process and privatisation;
• the importance of SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises), and their needs in relation to creating and operating within a single market for GI;
• links with and between CEO, GISDATA (now AGILE) for GI R&D, EUROGI, CERCO, MEGRIN;
• needs of multinational companies which have identified their needs for pan-European GI, which cannot now be satisfied because of the lack of readily available harmonised data;
• lack of awareness amongst decision makers, at all levels of hierarchy, of the important issues facing the GI industry, from both the public and private sectors;
• examples of situations where the lack of a European policy has caused additional cost and great difficulties in crisis management.

The new Introductory chapter concludes with the messages:

If nothing is done, the GI market will remain fragmented, working only at local and national level. The market will never achieve the European dimension necessary to enable dynamics in job creation and new economic activities.

A strategy to remove obstacles and grasp opportunities.

The new version of GI2000 strengthens the case for developing the European dimension for a GI infrastructure, to enable market development and job creation. The collaboration with European Institutions dealing with the single market will bring coherence to the GI market development.

Action required.

• The High Level Working Group proposed by the draft Communication will be the European focal point to exchange information and debate on GI policy strategies.
• A specific debate on public data dissemination, data harmonisation and the role of public services, at local, national and European level, must be launched. Based on existing public data, it should be possible to prepare value-added products for sale "off the shelf", creating new opportunities for European SMEs.
• The European Commission, due to its own pan-European information needs, will provide strong incentives to the market, creating economic activity and new jobs.

Date Updated: 29.1.1998