SDI Convergence - Nederlandse Commissie voor Geodesie - KNAW

applications field and also in terms of the steps that it has taken to promote spatially
enabled government. It is also one of the few SDIs that have published regular reports
during the implementation process and cross referenced new developments in relation
to previous work. This makes it possible to trace SDI evolution in more detail than is
usually the case.
The main stages in the evolution of Victoria’s Spatial Information Strategy are summarised
in Table 4. From this it can seen that they date back at least twenty years. Concerns
about duplication in maintaining computerised databases led the Victorian government
to set up LANDATA to coordinate the development of a common land information
system for the state as far back as 1984. This body turned out to be both under
resourced and capable of producing digital maps only in a format that was unsuitable
for modern GIS applications. As a result the state commissioned Tomlinson Associates
to carry out a comprehensive GIS planning study in 1991. This study examined the
work carried out by 40 state agencies and reviewed 270 data sets. It was a seminal
work for the spatial information industry in the state which demonstrated both the strategic
importance and the economic potential of land information (Thompson et al.,
2003).
Table 4: The evolution of Victoria’s spatial information management framework
(Department of Sustainability and Environment, 2008, p.13).
1993
Core spatial information identified
Government wide planning methodology introduced
Victorian Geospatial Information Strategy 1997-2000
Core data improved
Spatial management framework put in place - policy, infrastructure, awareness, distribution,
business systems
Core principles for managing spatial information introduced - metadata, quality management,
privacy, liability, licensing, pricing, custodianship
Coordinating and cooperative arrangements between key stakeholders established
Victorian Geospatial Information Strategy 2000-2003
Spatial information management principles further codified
Introduction of the concepts of ‘framework’ and ‘business’ information
Role of custodians defined
Framework datasets identified and custodians assigned
Victorian Spatial Information Strategy 2004-2007
Best practice principles for spatial information management extended to custodians of all spatial datasets
Custodianship formally identified as the basis for spatial information management
Holistic spatial information management framework defined
Victorian Spatial Council established
This was followed by another strategy for the period from 2000 to 2003. This further
consolidated the creation of high quality fundamental data sets for the state and set out
best practice management principles for custodianship, metadata, access, pricing and
licensing and spatial accuracy (Thompson et al., 2003). The concept of custodianship
lies at the heart of the State’s spatial information management strategy.
While the proposals for the next strategy were under consideration the Land Information
Group with its 70 staff took a new position in early 2004 within the Department of
Sustainability and Environment as the Spatial Information Infrastructure component of
its Strategic Policy and Projects group. This move made it possible for those involved
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