Geospa ial da a ela e o he loca ion o geog aphical ea u es and ela ionships be ween hose
ea u es.They a e i al o a wide ange o business and go e nmen unc ions including de ence,
anspo a ion, educa ion, enginee ing, and ec ea ion; in ac , almos all ac i i ies ely on
geospa ial da a o some ex en . I is widely accep ed ha he majo i y o all da a held in
co po a e and go e nmen da abases include some kind o geospa ial cha ac e is ics. Such da a
a e impo an no only o con empo a y pu poses bu a e also essen ial o long- e m analyses.
Ac i e da a managemen is he e o e equi ed o cu a e, p ese e, and p o ide access o eliable
geospa ial da a o e ime.
Cu a ing Geospa ial Da a
www.dcc.ac.uk
Sho - e m bene i s and long- e m alue
Geospa ial da a ha e ypically been p oduced in analogue o m, o example, as pape maps depic ing opog aphic
in o ma ion such as s ee s, buildings, i e s e c.These da a a e now mo e o en c ea ed, main ained and accessed
digi ally, inc easing he ease wi h which hey can be e-used o e-pu posed. Sho e m ad an ages o cu a ing
geospa ial da a include:
• Maximising in es men : up o 80 pe cen o he cos o implemen ing and using a Geog aphic In o ma ion
Sys em (GIS) may be ied o he collec ion and c ea ion o geospa ial da a. Cu a ion ac i i ies help o
maximise he ini ial in es men .
• Maximising esea ch bene i s: by sha ing da a om a a ie y o o ganisa ions and coun ies, compa a i e
analyses o eliable da a can be ca ied ou wi h a speed ha would ha e been impossible o imagine when
sha ing analogue esou ces.
Longe - e m bene i s om geospa ial da a cu a ion d aw on he abo e and also enable:
• P o iding legal e idence: Eme ging in e na ional ag eemen s such as he Kyo o P o ocol may ha e a huge
impac on he alue o geospa ial da a as legal e idence, bu he da a mus be p ope ly cu a ed o be o alue.
• Minimising he isk o losing unique da a: E en i inancial esou ces a e no an issue, i may no be physically
possible o ecap u e he da a as i may be empo ally dependen .
• P o iding his o ical e idence: P ese ing digi al geospa ial da a will p o ide a eco d o a gi en place o e ime.
HE/FE and eScience pe spec i e
Geospa ial da a a e inc easingly used as an in e disciplina y ool and a e aluable in a ange o academic subjec s:
'The use o geospa ial da a is acqui ing new signi icance as many academic disciplines ealise ha spa ial
ela ionships in he phenomena hey s udy a e i al o hei unde s anding. Subjec a eas ange om adi ionally
spa ial disciplines such as geog aphy and geology, h ough o biology, business, a chaeology, epidemiology and
his o y.The ele ance o hese ela ionships means ha many esea ch p ojec s now collec , analyse and ou pu
geospa ial da a [...] ha can be o ele ance and use o o he esea che s and o ganisa ions.' -
Smi h, Mike J in Use Case Compendium o De i ed Geospa ial Da a, Dec 2005
Good cu a ion p ac ices a e i al o digi al geospa ial da a o be sha ed be ween he ange o academic
disciplines o which hey hold alue and he e o e used o hei ull po en ial.
BRIEFING PAPER Augus 2006
www.dcc.ac.uk
Roles and esponsibili ies
Da a mus be c ea ed in a eliable and con ex ually-clea manne i hey a e o be success ully e-
used.This is a pa icula challenge o geospa ial da a, which a e cha ac e is ically complex and a y
widely in e ms o o ma , size, po abili y, quali y, accu acy and alue. C ea o s mus implemen
sound c ea ion p ac ices o ensu e ha hei da a a e e-usable and sus ainable o e ime, and clea ly
iden i y any p ocessing he da a ha e unde gone. E ec i e eco ds managemen p ac ices should also
be implemen ed o ensu e ha aluable geospa ial da a a e app aised and selec ed o long- e m
cu a ion.
The c i e ia used o app aise geospa ial da a should e lec bo h ins i u ional equi emen s and he
po en ial e-use alue o he eco ds o he wide communi y. Da a s ewa ds o cu a o s can
es ablish such c i e ia acco ding o ins i u ional p io i ies and inancing a ailabili y, and acili a e
ans e o managemen o he da a o long- e m cu a ion. Collabo a ion be ween c ea o s and
cu a o s will enable su icien me ada a o be p ese ed wi h complex da a esou ces so ha hey
can be managed and eliably e-used wi h au hen ici y and in eg i y in ac . Due o he o en
p op ie a y na u e o geospa ial da a, IT s a mus main ain a echnology wa ch o ensu e ha da a
o ma s do no become obsole e and he da a emains accessible.
Geospa ial da a managemen guidelines and policies help ensu e ha he necessa y asks a e ca ied
ou by he ele an pe sonnel, and in eg a e geospa ial da a managemen in o he wide
o ganisa ional ac i i ies.
Addi ional esou ces
Smi h, Mike J in Use Case Compendium o De i ed Geospa ial Da a, (Dec 2005)
h p://edina.ac.uk/p ojec s/g ade/usecasecompendium.pd
CEISIN, Guide o managing Geospa ial elec onic eco ds (June 2005)
h p://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/ge /GuideToManagingGER 1Final.pd
Go-Geo websi e - a ool designed o help use s ind de ails abou geospa ial da ase s and ela ed
esou ces wi hin G ea B i ain e ia y educa ion and beyond. h p://www.gogeo.ac.uk/index.h ml
The Open Geospa ial Conso ium, Inc. (OGC) - h p://www.opengeospa ial.o g/
No h Ca olina Geospa ial Da a A chi ing P ojec (NCGDAP) h p://www.lib.ncsu.edu/ncgdap/
NARA T ans e Ins uc ions o Pe manen Elec onic Reco ds: Digi al Geospa ial Da a Reco ds
h p://www.a chi es.go / eco ds-mgm /ini ia i es/digi al-geospa ial-da a- eco ds.h ml
Fede al Geog aphic Da a Commi ee – a US in e -agency commi ee ha p omo es he
coo dina ed de elopmen , use, sha ing, and dissemina ion o geospa ial da a on a na ional basis.
h p://www. gdc.go /
Scien i ic o ma s o geospa ial da a p ese a ion - A s udy o sui abili y and pe o mance
h p://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/NARA/Sci_ m s_and_geoda a_HDF.pd (2004)
