|
|
|
E-Land Administration – German cadastre on track!
Geographic information and cadastral data in particular can serve as a strong fundament for legal, administrative and technological structures for the entire public administration (Schennach 2003). Looking at the situation in Europe cadastral data do not play a significant role in INSPIRE. Reasons may be found in the current situation in cadastre in Europe and the different legal systems in land administration that can be found. As long as there is no higher standard as now in cadastral mapping in Europe there will be no chance for cadastral data to play a significant European role.
The need for standardisation is a key element in SDI-projects. At least the German cadastral authorities have defined a basic data set and all states have committed themselves to provide and maintain these data. European working groups have been established to discuss these issues but it seems that there will be no short-term solution found to meet the EU-wide requirements on the cadastral data.
It will be most important for the European cadastral authorities to define a core data set which can be found in all cadastral systems of all member states. Then future requirements can be identified and solutions found.
2.2 Standardisation
The use of common international standards is a key element in the development and establishment of SDI-projects whether on international, national, regional or even local level. Geodata servers designed to deliver data from different sources to different customers or GI-systems will only run smoothly under a high level of standardisation.
Since some years the International Standardisation Organisation ISO is working on standards for data base description languages. The standards are almost completed and are used for example in Germany for the description of the AFIS-ALKIS-ATKIS model. The description of this model is completed. It covers the information about control points (AFIS), cadastre (ALKIS) and topographical data (ATKIS) in one data base.
The OpenGIS Consortium OGC is the international institution where leading GIS and data base companies work together with governmental people, universities etc. to elaborate common features for digital mapping systems. OGC is working close together with ISO on the fields of their activities.
The result of this standardisation process will be interoperability by standardised interfaces between different GI-systems and online-access to different data bases via internet by using OpenGIS Web Services.
FIG Commission 7 works on the field of a definition of a modular standard for the cadastral domain (Lemmen 2003). The idea is to create a standard for a core cadastral data base using standardised description languages. These core data base may be used in countries all over the world as a basic tool for their digital cadastral database (DCDB). This work may be helpful as well for the EU member states.
Standardised data sets and transparent land transaction procedures will make cross border transaction much easier than now. Land transactions in Europe could be processed in nearly the same way with a standardised system even when the legal system is different.
2.3 GALILEO
GALILEO is the new satellite navigation system launched by the European Union and the European Space Agency. Since the existing US GPS satellites and the Russian GLONASS are military systems GALILEO is the first civil navigation system. GALILEO is based on a constellation of 30 satellites. The first satellite was successfully launched by the end of 2005. The operational satellites will be put into orbit between 2006 and 2008.
More available satellites for surveying purposes will make the field work much easier and more cost effective. The network of permanent reference stations can be designed with less density which allows providing services on a more cost-effective level.
3. DEVELOPMENTS IN GERMANY
3.1 National spatial data infrastructure GDI-DE and the Land Administration sector
The Federal Government in Germany together with the surveying authorities in the 16 states are working on a national spatial data infrastructure (Geodateninfrastruktur-Deutschland GDI-DE) to meet the requirements of users and to tackle the major problems which can be mainly found in data structures not following international standards, insufficient and inhomogeneous documentation, inconsistent licensing and pricing policy of public data providers.
All levels and all stakeholders collaborate in the construction of GDI-DE. GeoMIS.Bund is the newest metadata system integrating all efforts at the federal level. This metadata system will be part of the GeoPortal.Bund which will be the main entrance for GDI-DE and which can become part of the European SDI. With regard to the INSPIRE-geoportal the GeoPortal.Bund will be able to act as a node of it.
|
|
|