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The Lithuanian Geographic Information Infrastructure DEMOCRATIC SPATIAL SHARING IN LITHUANIA: A VISION, A REALITY Cindy Pubellier, team leader, Development of LGII-Project Preparation Facility, France Geographic information systems (GIS) have proven their success over the last few decades. They are widely used in assembling information within organizations. The challenge now is the use and to share spatial data to maximum advantage within the IT environment, as opposed to relying exclusively on GIS. The integration or interoperability of data is essential for the sharing of information and knowledge within a nation. Technologies are undoubtedly crucial in the vision of a National Geographic Information Infrastructure (NGII). The aim is to enable interoperability via which tremendous economic benefits can be achieved. Of equal importance is a clear framework of agreements among government agencies and between the government, the private sector and the citizenry when it comes to the way in which the public sector information, including geographic information, can best be used to maximise benefits for everyone. These agreements require attention and political support at the highest level.

INTRODUCTION Geographic information (GI) is of tremendous economic and social value in any society. GI is very expensive to collect, process and maintain, but it is becoming easier and easier to disseminate it cheaply via Webbased services and products. Studies from the world’s developed nations show that GI performs a crucial role in underpinning economies and delivering efficient government. The authors of these studies argue that GI should be applied as widely as possible. Large volumes of GI are already being collected by local and national governments for specific purposes. There have been heated debates about the extent to which such public sector information (PSI) should be made more widely available for other uses and to other users. How much should it cost? All of these matters have led to the adoption of diverse policies in the various countries of the world. The widespread utilisation of GIS software, the vast production of GI, and the exchanges of data among institutions (albeit with insufficient reuse of geo-spatial data in Lithuania) – these factors have led

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to an increasing demand for a more organised mechanism and infrastructure in this area so as to benefit the country, the European continent and the rest of the world. One of the goals of the Lithuanian Geographic Information Infrastructure (LGII) is to create an open and shared infrastructure for accessing and distributing information products and services online. To achieve this goal, data from regional and national organisations are to be based on common standards.

LGII OBJECTIVES Data are one of the most valuable resources for any nation. The need for data sharing is important in everyday business processes, and it is of value when decisions are taken during natural disasters or manmade emergencies. In such cases, efficiency in data sharing can help to save lives and property. The main aim of the LGII is to develop an official geographic information source system or infrastructure, along with an information environment which would allow for the free incorporation of GI into almost any public sec-

tor information (PSI) service in Lithuania. The overall goal of the LGII is to improve the quality of policymaking, citizen participation and market development through the increased use of GI, thus providing for a new means of acquiring knowledge. In developing a sustainable national spatial data infrastructure (SDI), it is key to foster and to maintain relations of trust among all stakeholders (local residents, the public sector, the private sector, the research community). We must encourage the collection, processing, archiving, integration and sharing of geo-spatial data and information, making use of common standards and interoperable systems and techniques via the Internet. The objects of the project are the following: • To provide GI (as part of PSI), prime digital material for almost any public sector information services, research, business and citizens at large (GI availability via the Internet); • To combine and interconnect the primary GI data into different sources of added-value electronic products and services in the public sector, thus creating unprecedented possibilities to interconnection various registers, databases, etc. (interoperability); • To foster substantial investments in creativity and innovation which, in turn, will lead to growth and increased competitiveness in content provision, in information technologies and, more generally, across a wide range of industrial and cultural sectors. This will safeguard employment and encourage new job creation (economic gain); • To provide for a transparent and applicable environment for the reuse of GI, without which it would be enormously difficult to bring out the full economic potential of this key information resource. There are considerable differences in rules and practices which relate to the exploitation of the currently insufficient and fragmented GI resources that are available (favourable conditions for business and industry).

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E-GOVERNMENT The purposes of the LGII can be summarised as follows: • Identification of users and providers of spatial data in order to create an infrastructure which satisfies everybody’s needs; • Encouragement for the development of partnership in creating geographic data for various programmes in government, academia and the private sector; • Enhancing the applicability of existing GI, providing for an environment which allows users to share their information, knowledge and interests via easy access to high-quality spatial data. An appropriate infrastructure can then be established through consensus; • Encouragement for links and coordination among government institutions, the private sector and the educational sector through the sharing of spatial data. The co-operation of organisations must be intensified by bringing together representatives from the sectors of data production, research and education, as well as from the business sector. Here, too, spatial data are to be used. Geographic information is a key component in the Information Society and the general information infrastructure. It is not just an individual sector of information technology. A FEASIBILITY STUDY The LGII is not merely about technology. It speaks to the development of a clear framework of agreements among government agencies, as well as among the government, the private sector and local residents. At issue here are the terms for making use of PSI, including geographic information, so as to maximise everyone’s benefits. These are agreements which often require attention and political support at the very highest level. The European Union began a thorough feasibility study in March 2004, and it was conducted by a team of international and local experts from the GIS Centras, Vilnius, acting under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture. Interviews, questionnaires and presentations were conducted during the course of this

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phase, the aim being to promote the vision of the LGII and to gain support and involvement on the part of stakeholders. During the pre-project stage, most GI users and providers spoke favourably about the LGII, while others remained unaware of the benefits that it provides. These people were reluctant to change or felt that their financial situation might not be well served by the LGII. It must be pointed out here that the LGII remains a new concept which is not yet tangible for many people. As soon as the LGII becomes a reality, it will be much more effective and efficient to promote and to present it.

PROJECT RESULTS The project will result in a substantial investment in creativity and innovation through the provision of digital content in geographic forms – content through which knowledge can be acquired. What’s more, the project opens up the possibility for creating new services and products. Figure 1 shows the various areas of activities and expected outcomes of the LGII development project: Metadata and data publishing: “GIS search engines” will be available for searching through the catalogues of producers and custodians. These should provide a standardised view of metadata. The issue of metadata is

vital to the success of the LGII. Metadata are to be accessible through the LGII portal or clearinghouse as soon as they are ready in the implementation of the project. That means that existing data will be accessible sooner and in a more advantageous manner in socio-economic terms. Geographic information finding/ viewing: A data locator will allow users to discover geo-spatial information or related services. Delivery of GI: When the user needs to take possession of data that are presented on the Internet, the delivery of such data via the Net should be available. Various modes can be envisaged (E-mail, a Web feature server, offline media such as tape and DVD for large volumes of data, etc.). Analysing GI interactively: Several applications can be realised through a combination of various geo-spatial services and spatial queries in appropriate workflows over the Internet, without having to store the thematic reference information locally.

RISKS AND FLEXIBILITY CHANGES IN ORGANISATIONAL CULTURES New challenges for the LGII will include management of organisational change in terms of the working re-

Figure 1. Activities and expected outcomes of the LGII Development Project

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E-GOVERNMENT lationships which exist among networks of organisations. Lawmaking alone will not be sufficient without detailed work and development of programmes that are based on a stepby-step strategy. The required capacities do not need to be centralised in the form of a major organisation. On the contrary, experience shows that a small group with clearly defined political support may be operational in a decentralised way. The success of this management of change will depend on the commitment of those who are responsible for implementing the change itself. The development of the LGII must necessarily involve education and a change in organisational cultures. These are often lengthy and cumbersome processes for public sector organisations which can have great difficulty in adapting quickly to change. Some of the challenges which need addressing include the need to work more horizontally across departments and agencies, to be more sensitive vis-à-vis customer needs and requirements, to use information more effectively, and to provide access to one’s own information. This is a long term process which may require 20 or more years to complete. The LGII itself, however, does not need to wait for such changes to take place. Indeed, the system can be used as a way of leveraging change. Constant feedback and indicatorbased evaluation will be essential from the political and the managerial point of view. These act as assessment tools for political and managerial visibilities. UNDERESTIMATION OF CAPACITY BUILDING If insufficient reflection is given to the need for capacity building (education, training) and to targeted research throughout the process of deployment, then there can be serious problems in the sustainability of the LGII. There is often a lack of awareness at the local level when it comes to the importance of data sharing. It is of prime importance to focus on the benefits which derive from the use of GI. A viable long-term strategy is one

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which ensures a maintained balance between the development of management capacities and the acquisition of LGII policy responsibilities. Initial progress is liable to be slow, but a succession of challenge-response cycles will lead to enhanced performance without causing excessive stress or destructive overload. “Making haste slowly” – that has less obvious political appeal than does the promise of quick results, but it also seems likely to create a firmer foundation for long-term effectiveness. DIFFICULTIES IN WORKING TOGETHER This is a very complex project, because its various stakeholders and beneficiaries engage in different kinds of work and face different traditional responsibilities. They do not always have much experience in working together. A co-ordinator, therefore, is an absolute necessity in fostering co-operation among the various entities. Success will also depend on qualified management, a sustained and concerted effort, and well-organised teamwork. A core technical advisory board or committee should be established with the participation and involvement of European experts. This should be done in close contact with the relevant European (ESDI) counterpart so as to define specifications and to ensure technical co-ordination and advice. It is mandatory to have an entity which is responsible for central co-ordination in this process. “DEPARTMENTALISM” Any organisational change in government begins with high expectations, but it may well result in dismay and disillusionment, especially if there is bureaucratic resistance to change. To get around this problem, every effort must be made to identify the primary sources of resistance and to anticipate and formulate ways of dealing with these. Mere political will is necessary, but not sufficient to guarantee the success of reforms. Processes, feedback and evaluation are imperative, both politically and administratively. Progress can

be assessed by the co-ordinators and managers with clear visibilities. Feedback and evaluation provide indications for maintaining internal and external support. THE GI COMMUNITY AS A MINORITY As is the case in many parts of the world, GI specialists remain a very small minority in the population at large in Lithuania, even though the geo-spatial community is growing every year. Special training and education are necessary to break down the natural resistance which exists when unknown subjects are considered. GI is a very complex issue, one which has potential in integrating institutions and administrative units. Co-operation and partnership are of vital importance if traditional hurdles are to be overcome and the full potential of the LGII is to be achieved. Promotion and capacity building are the only ways of raising everyone’s awareness. Communications between the GI and the non-GI community can take place via workshops, conferences, seminars, etc., and such events should be organised. That encourages people to think about GI reflexively when the need arises. The private sector must play an important role, not only in data usage, but also in data collection through the production of value added products and services. MAJOR INVESTMENTS Major investment costs are definitely a risk in any NSDI. Indeed, economic benefits appear only later in the project process. An economic analysis that was conducted as a part of the aforementioned feasibility study showed that the economic internal rate of return on the investment, when estimated in the context of a timeframe of 10 years, is of high value, illustrating the fact that external benefits for society at large are very much covered even if there is a large investment cost at the beginning of the process.

BENEFITS OF THE LGII As is the case with SDIs all across the world, the costs of implementa-

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E-GOVERNMENT tion are front-loaded, while the benefits only appear at a later stage. That is why every effort is necessary in demonstrating early results through an iterative process which results in evolutionary acquisition and deployment. It is widely recognised that the quantification of the benefits of a spatial data infrastructure is particularly challenging. Some benefits are easy to identify and quantify, but others are far more intangible. This is especially true in the sense that the provision of information is a means to various ends which are based on may different parameters. In that case, it is impossible to identify and evaluate the benefits in any complete way. The LGII must be developed at the local, regional, national, European and global level. Consequently, there is a need to address politicians and decision makers at each of these levels so as to demonstrate the benefits of the system. The availability of public information is an absolute prerequisite for the competitiveness of a society. The difficulties in searching for fragmented information are held to have a negative bearing on job creation. A European Commission study found the economic value of PSI in Europe to be between 60 and 70 billion euros per year. Of this sum, more than onehalf is represented by GI (mapping, land and property, utilities, environmental data, etc.). In other words, GI is certainly a fundamental element in PSI. The benefits also refer to areas of high political priority such as crime reduction, health, education, spatial planning, environmental protection and risk management. The LGII will also help in supporting E-government and general economic development, in reducing the level of duplication and waste of resources, and in enhancing competitiveness through the development of new industries such as location-based services. There can be direct and indirect effects in the implementation of LGII. The direct ones include greater efficiency for governments, businesses and local residents; cost reductions in data purchasing (via the Web

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instead of agreements and direct procurement); lower expenses in data management, thanks to specialisation; less spending on the reuse of data; a common and standardised set of indicators about the state of the environment, which enables documentation of the successes of policies that are aimed at sustainable development and, later, at comparing levels of sustainable development at the national level. Other, indirect effects include lower taxes for citizens, companies and governments; better decisions made by governments and enterprises; and the development of new applications (product innovation and market development). USER BENEFITS Standards help to resolve problems such as the efficient representation of data. Standards create benefits such as interoperability, portability, ease of use, expanded choice, and economy of scale. There are gains in efficiency for LGII users because of standardisation (better portability of data) – interoperable specifications reduce the cost of combining datasets. In the absence of standardisation, many projects require the expenditure of time and money in securing the one-off conversion of one or more datasets. Work cannot otherwise be completed because of the prohibitive cost of data conversion. Then there is the issue of standardised metadata – this reduces the cost of collecting data, it enhances expanded production of new activities which would have been too expensive it total creation had been needed. Efficiency gains are also based on easier access, and the ability to discover existing datasets reduces barriers to access. Users work much faster thanks to the known value of the data and the better quality of the data. Consequently, better decision making and more economic planning can be envisaged as a result of lower data costs (multiuse). Economic advantages can be derived from co-ordination: Sustained commitment, vision and support for all of the involved stakeholders must be maintained if the project is to stay focused

and if there is to be further movement on the basis of existing achievements. BENEFITS FOR DATA PROVIDERS Efficiency gains can be achieved through the need to collect data just once, through back-office re-organisation (simplification of procedures with co-ordinated E-government portal solutions), through the more efficient use of personnel (specialisation), through the application of standards (economies in defining data models), through more use of the (thus more valuable) data, and through easier exposure of the available data (a wider market). GOVERNMENT BENEFITS • Compliance with the PSI directive, and enabling the interoperability of PSI (including registries); • A driving force behind E-government and the knowledge-based economy; • Efficiency gains in terms of environmental impact assessment, environmental monitoring and protection; • Better policies in risk prevention, health and the environment. BENEFITS FOR THE GI INDUSTRY • Developing products which satisfy the European standards on geoinformation, making these available in the pan-European market; • Availability of knowledge for searching, accessing and using geoinformation. BENEFITS (COHESION POLICIES) FOR OTHER INTERVENTIONS AT THE EUROPEAN LEVEL • INSPIRE, GMES, eEurope and many other measures will benefit from the implementation of the LGII as the result of environmental policy planning at the national and, by extension, at the European level will be better because of better decisions that are taken on the basis of better GI. INCREASE IN REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS The LGII will encourage the further exploration of real estate and

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E-GOVERNMENT better monitoring of the use of land. A system of territorial planning in terms of the organisation and exploitation of the land can be created and implemented. The real estate market in Lithuania was worth an estimated 434 million euros in 2002, and an increase of 1% through the application of the LGII can reasonably be expected. Home buyers and real estate investors have no real tools to explore potential parcels of land – only parcel numbers and predefined zonings are available. The LGII will provide additional entry points from environmental and transportation perspectives. International investors, for instance, will be able to find a topographically and environmentally appropriate plot of land for the construction of a golf course, they will be able to see how far it is from other locations. Home buyers can locate areas where there are good roads and good public transportation if that is something which their families require. SOCIO-CULTURAL BENEFITS The socio-cultural benefits of the LGII rest in the system’s spatial policy-making, its critical importance in national security and emergency management, and its inherent value. TOURISM Over time, the LGII will help to create the image of Lithuania as a country which is attractive for tourism. Easy access to comprehensive data about transportation will be a good first step. GOOD GOVERNANCE The LGII will help local residents to access good and consistent GI, and that will help in taking key decisions such as home purchases. The system will help people to look at factors such as flooding, proximity to industrial sites, transport, health care, education facilities and other aspects of the quality of life. The LGII will make it possible for the private sector to make use of public sector information with a view to the creation of value-added services which are useful to the public and

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which result in the creation of high quality employment (as is the case already in the United States). The LGII will also foster the ability of the public to participate in the taking of decisions about specific activities. FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC THINKING Lithuania’s scarce natural resources encourage the mobilisation of other resources which are important and promising under current conditions. These include human resources, innovative activities and knowledge-based production. The LGII is unquestionably a long-term solution for efficiency and effectiveness from the financial and economic point of view. Lithuania has all of the prerequisites for rapid technological progress. These include the potential of applied sciences in synthesising the knowledge from different fields of activity, the production of high-tech products and services, the industrial use of many fundamental technologies, and the country’s satisfactory level of industrial and scientific concentration. When a knowledge-based environment is created, this benefits not just the public sector, which enjoys the benefit of efficiency gains via economies of scale and specialisation. It is also true that the production of data is facilitated, through new management techniques and specifications through the LGII. The information age in which we live means that no longer should we need to spend day after day in seeking out data from other public sector organisations, we should not spend hours in checking the quality of data or in adapting the data to our own specifications. State registers and databases need to operate under the auspices of an overall and national data collection system such as the LGII. The state will be incapable of performing many of its functions unless the government’s administrative skills are improved. Good administration and transparent activities of the government – these are the main prerequisites for the country’s rapid progress. In this respect, the LGII will enable

an increase in the competitiveness of goods and services throughout the economy, beginning in the public sector. As a small country, Lithuania can promptly adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances of economic globalisation and the rapid spread of informatics in the worldwide economy. Lithuania has a comparatively good fixed and mobile communications infrastructure, broadband Internet and cable television services, highly qualified informatics specialists, an advanced system for training specialists, and the first positive elements in the structure of distance education. Most people in Lithuania think that IT will have a favourable impact on the country’s economy. Businesspeople are envisioning the importance of the enhancement of production and information technologies and telecommunications products, as well as the provision of the relevant services. The LGII will stimulate businesses and foster job creation through new products and services, particularly among small and medium businesses. That is the result of easy access to GI for the entire community. The SME sector has a progressive infrastructure, it operates in the open and gradually developing economy, it uses modern technologies and a skilled labour force, it manufactures competitive and innovative goods, and it provides services to the local and the international market. Indeed, it represents the better part of GDP. SMEs can adjust flexibly to changes in the market, they use resources reasonably, and they create new jobs. The LGII, as a component in information technologies, is a knowledgegathering activity because of its geographic nature. This is one of the effective components of the physical and economic infrastructure, ensuring the stable and balanced development of the economy and its efficient functioning. Investments in the LGII are crucial for economic development at the national and the international scale, because of the far-reaching inter-sectoral effects of improved efficiency in communications and the develop-

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E-GOVERNMENT ment of online services. This has considerable influence in the more general fields of civic development, including training, youth education, culture, tourism, politics, etc.

CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS The rapid increase in the number of countries which are involved in the National Geographic Information Infrastructure and its development is the result of a clear understanding of the lessons that were learned during the first generation of national GIIs (Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, the UK and the United States). Initial motivations in this work included the need to reduce duplication, to use resources more effectively, and to create a base from which to expand the productivity of industry and the market for spatial information. Countries in the second generation began to develop their national GIIs with the idea of facilitating the planning and management of economic development and natural resources. Many assessments of these experiences indicate that there was much diversity in the first generation of strategies. There were clear advantages to a formal mandate for a national geographic information strategy, provided that this was accompanied by the necessary resources to enable its implementation. Indeed, the lack of dedicated resources is a weak point, with initiatives fundamentally being the result of existing co-ordination activities. This model has the advantage of building upon existing co-operative patterns. It can be said that Lithuania is very fortunate in that the LGII is being launched just now, when the lessons taught by the first generation of national GIIs have been taken to heart. This means that mistakes can be avoided as Lithuania takes part in what can be called the third generation of national GIIs. The bottom line here is that if we don’t do this work, someone else will. It is thought that a considerable increase in the number of national geographic information strategies that

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are implemented throughout the world will be experienced over the next 10 years. No country need ask whether a national GII is necessary. The challenge is to decide on how to implement a GII most effectively, keeping in mind culture, specific requirements, priorities, as well as the history of the country. Only then will there be a promotion of economic development, a stimulus for better government, and a fostering of environmental sustainability. We already are seeing the emergence of greater importance for the Internet in GIS applications. The “next big thing” that is being predicted by people in the industry is the use of GIS by people who don’t even have to understand the technologies or the science. This broadens the user base and makes the GIS more important. The LGII is focusing more on accuracy, semantics, reliability and control of geographic information. It is opening up the world to new opportunities, applications and possibilities. There is, among other things, a need to integrate socially excluded and special needs children so as they can access reliable geographic information and thus acquire, develop and improve their knowledge and skills in rural or urban areas. This is especially pressing, given the rapid changes that are taking place in the environment today. Information that is available should not be limited to textual form alone, it should extend to geographic information so that a comprehensive vision is provided. The idea that a picture is worth 1,000 words applies to everyone. The LGII strengthens the emergence of the Information Society by integrating all of the public sector information that is geographically based (geo-referenced). The LGII is also a resource for minimising the urban-vs.-rural gap in information access. Everyone will have equal opportunities in accessing the information that is necessary for social and public needs. A knowledge-based economy has a major impact on the lives of all residents of a country. It is a powerful engine for growth, competitiveness and jobs while improving quality of life.

The knowledge-based economy is one of Lithuania’s priorities. The EU has set out the goal of establishing a society that is based on knowledge within the next decade. By the year 2015, Lithuania may have achieved a similar level in this area. A society based on knowledge is a very important challenge for Lithuania, and Lithuania may fail in its attempts to achieve it if there is no consensus among large groups in society and if there is an absence of strong and intellectual political will. ❏

REFERENCES 1. Lithuanian Geographic Information Infrastructure – Framework Report. ASTEC Global Consultancy, June 2004. 2. EC- INSPIRE: Spatial Data Infrastructures in Europe: State of Play, spring 2003, Lithuania. 3. Sheila Kennedy – Pipelines Benefits by Integrating Management Systems – Pipeline & Gas Journal, September 2002. 4. “Online Availability of Public services: How Europe is progressing?”, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young’s October 2003. 5. UN-ECE 1996, Land administration Guidelines – Meeting of Officials on Land Administration, UN Economic Commission for Europe. 6. ANZLIC Benefits Study Australian Land and Geographic Data Infrastructure – Price Waterhouse, Feb 1995. 7. Bastiaan Van Loenen, Dutch NGII on Course : A practical approach on implementing a vision – the Netherlands. FIG XXII International Congress, Washington DC, USA, April 19-26 2002. 8. Blakemore, M. and L. McKeever. (2001) “Users of official European statistical data – investigating information needs”. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 33 (2), 59–67. 9. Longhorn and Blakemore (2003) Re-visiting the valuing and pricing of digital Geographic Information. 10. Inspire – Contribution to the extended impact assessment of INSPIRE – 24/9/2003.

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