International SDI Symposium

Aims and Objectives

The idea for the Symposium arose from discussions amongst key researchers, who have been involved in carrying out studies on the design and use of SDIs and actively involved in critically analysing each other’s work. This symposium will allow contact among, and international comparisons with, those who are working independently on similar SDI initiatives and facing similar problems with similar or alternative approaches. It will also allow the bringing together of key researchers and agencies in technology development, management information systems, and sociology with users and producers from the spatial data community.

The specific purposes of the symposium are to:

• Identify forces affecting the future of spatial data infrastructures based on assessment of current SDI initiatives;
• Discuss and anticipate possible future scenarios for SDI development;
• Identify implications of the anticipated future directions from local, state, national, regional, global and other stakeholder perspectives;
• Identify cautions, suggestions, and directions to the spatial data community based on the identified futures.

In addition to the keynote presentations, we have invited contributions from leading practitioners who are willing to share their vision, knowledge and experiences in the development of SDI initiatives.

The Symposium will conclude with an extended discussion about future directions for SDI development, amongst participants and invited guests.

Topics

* The institutional and technological perspectives of SDI

* Global drivers, Concepts, Regional directories

* Local to global initiatives

* Advancing technologies

* SDI Hierarchies

* Future directions of SDI