Federated Geospatial Information: What Are We Aiming to Achieve in This Area?

LINZ’s outcome in this area is “New Zealand’s geospatial data is available, accessible, and able to be shared”.

Geospatial data records the location and names of features beneath, on, or above the surface of the earth. Although most people tend not to think consciously about it, many aspects of our daily lives rely on geospatial data – on knowing where things are and understanding how they relate to each other. This data supports a wide range of business, government and community activities – from emergency services and defence planning, to Treaty of Waitangi processes, running an election, the provision of health services and finding local schools.

Coverage and accuracy of this data is constantly improving, and becoming accessible in different ways, including online. Google Earth is an example of a popular tool used to store and display geospatial data. These types of tools are becoming widely available and increasingly used by the general public, as well as businesses. New data, and easier ways of accessing it, are creating new markets and commercial opportunities, as well as demonstrating better ways of providing traditional public services. For example, New Zealand’s emergency services are using geospatial data to more accurately pinpoint the location of emergencies, and respond to these emergencies more efficiently and effectively. Improved access to locationbased data enables New Zealanders to combine and re-use the data to make new information and better decisions.

This outcome area is about improving the access to, and use of, geospatial data across government, the private sector, and individuals, in a way that supports New Zealand’s broader economic and social goals. However, this is not something that LINZ can achieve alone – it will take the co-ordinated efforts of a broad range of parties. LINZ will therefore need to take a leadership role in facilitating this co-ordination. LINZ intends to support the above outcome by contributing to four underlying outcomes.

Contributing outcomes

Governance. Effective governance arrangements support the management, development and access to national geospatial information.

Interoperability. Geospatial datasets, services and systems owned by different government agencies and local government can be easily combined and re-used for multiple purposes.

Access. Government geospatial information and services can be readily discovered, appraised and accessed. Access to LINZ-held data is discussed under our outcome area Authoritative land information.

Data. Priority geospatial datasets are captured, maintained and preserved.