Outcome 4: Enhanced Economic & Social Transformation Through Facilitation of Connections in Land Information

Trusted geospatial information is available, accessible and able to be shared, and is used to support the:

• safety and security of New Zealand
• growth of an inclusive, innovative economy, and
• preservation and enhancement of our society, culture and environment.

Impacts:

• New Zealand recognised as contributing to global geospatial developments, and
• an increase in collaboration across the public sector and between the public and private sectors.

Measured by:

We redeveloped this outcome in 2008/09 to recognise the growing importance of geospatial information to New Zealand's society and economy, and renamed it: 'Federated geospatial information'. Measures that contribute to this outcome were developed and outlined in the 2009-2012 Statement of Intent. They cover governance, interoperability, access and priority datasets.

Promoting our leadership in the geospatial sector

What we set out to achieve

Geospatial information supports a wide range of business, government and community activities - from emergency services responses and defence planning, to Treaty of Waitangi processes and the provision of health services.

Advances in technology offer opportunities to gain efficiencies in the collection, management and provision of geospatial information. The New Zealand Geospatial Strategy was developed in 2007, to better coordinate and manage the use of New Zealand's geospatial resources across all tiers of society. LINZ is taking a leadership role for the strategy, and is the home of the New Zealand Geospatial Office, which works with other organisations to:

• promote an environment in New Zealand where the value of geospatial information is better understood and recognised
• bring the geospatial community together in a concerted effort to capture the opportunities and gains this information has to offer businesses and the New Zealand public, and
• achieve better access to geospatial data, ease of integration and ensure priority datasets are captured, preserved and maintained.

What we have achieved

The first phase of a cross-government work programme for the New Zealand Geospatial Strategy was approved in September 2008. Key projects for 2008/09 included:

• completing a report on Geospatial Data Standards for New Zealand that proposes a role for government in the coordination of geospatial data standards
• commissioning a report to estimate the value of spatial information to the New Zealand economy
• developing an inventory of local and central government elevation data⁵, which has collated and published details of what high-resolution elevation data (mainly using light detection and ranging technology) has been and is planned to be collected throughout the country, and
• launching a dedicated website in September 2008 to support the work programme and the strategy by giving it greater visibility and providing a platform for ongoing communication and participation.

Discussions with the Government during the year confirmed that one of the top three ministerial priorities for the land information portfolio is LINZ's leadership of the New Zealand Geospatial Strategy. LINZ has now taken on a leadership role in the geospatial sector and continues to build relationships with organisations working in this area. In 2008/09, we established an in-principle agreement for New Zealand to participate more closely in the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information programme. This will draw benefits into New Zealand from Australian research activities in the geospatial area, and builds on our membership of the Australia New Zealand Land Information Council.

We have also focused on working collaboratively to form a coordinated approach, and to ensure all stakeholders have a voice. A culture of cooperation is a crucial element of success in the geospatial sector. As an example, we are working with the recently formed New Zealand chapter of the Spatial Industries Business Association to identify areas of common interest and opportunity.

In December 2008, we reviewed the governance arrangements for the New Zealand Geospatial Strategy to place a stronger emphasis on a strategic, cross-sector approach for championing the geospatial agenda within government. The size and composition of the Geospatial Executives Group, which is made up of government chief executives, was revised as a result. The revised group took over its governance role in March 2009.