Geographic IQ:the Impact of Convergence Mike Donald Managing Director Terralink International Ltd, New Zealand Email: mike.donald@terralink.co.nz Geographic IQ is an essential element in the development of our social and economic infrastructure. What is Geographic IQ ? It is using geographic information to live richer lives as individuals and enable profitable businesses and efficient and effective governance. Spatial Data underpins Geographic IQ . In both our personal lives, and in business, Geographic IQ is closely tied to technology and Convergence is an enabler. Australasia has long had a focus on the use of spatial technology for economic development. 1980’s economic reform allowed the development of integrated, accessible spatial data supported by a Governance model leading to a world class range of spatial products, services and applications. Importantly these are supported by sustainable business models allowing the sharing and access of data. Effective maintenance and delivery processes are in place. Terralink’s national land information database has integrated data layers sourced from over 200 public and private sources and includes cadastral, satellite and aerial imagery, valuation, land title ownership, property sales history, building and resource consents, road centerlines, address points, land use, thematic and points of interest, road navigation. Data is collected from sources and vertically integrated and stored in a GIS database. Quality of data and maintenance is crucial to the value to end users. Data must be Timely, Accurate, and Complete. Geographic IQ users of the data cover all sectors include Land administration, Military, Utilities, Change Detection, Environmental, Emergency Services (Police, Fire, Ambulance) Agriculture, Biosecurity, Finance, Banking, Real Estate, Transport (in car navigation, fleet tracking) Consumers. While there will always be a demand for Geographic IQ to be provided in hard copy forms such as maps and atlases, or on desktop PC applications (CD or DVD) - increasingly the trend is for delivery of Geographic IQ in an internet or wireless environment. Convergence has a significant impact on data. It increases the demand for data that is Timely, Accurate, and Complete. Increasing accuracy of collection is possible (eg IKE) and there is an increasing accuracy of GPS, There is an increasing requirement for deeper content, and of interconnectivity between data feeds and for live feeds. These have impacts on data storage requirements and lead to governance issues for data standards and metadata. Data integrity is paramount. How do we manage these issues? Location Based Service trends are evident. Users want Geographic IQ wherever they are, 24x7, that is easy to access and use, that is accurate, current, relevant. Users want it now, and they want it on one device! Two factors will drive use of Geographic IQ: Intuitive User interface and Customer Value. The outlook for Geographic IQ is exciting today.....the impact of Convergence is breathtaking for tomorrow!