Enabling Spatial Data Sharing through Multi-source Spatial Data Integration

The dynamic environment of SDIs and the involvement of diverse spatial data providers present uncertainty for involving organizations. This pushes organizations to focus on cooperative data sharing relationships to deliver their objectives. Spatial data sharing provides transactions in which individuals, governments and businesses obtain access to spatial data and services from other stakeholders. However, spatial data sharing goes beyond simple data exchange and requires the provision of usable datasets. It is specifically important at multi-national level and Global SDI (GSDI). One of the most significant and demanding characteristics of usable datasets is the readiness of spatial datasets for integration with other datasets. However it is often difficult or even impossible for users to sensibly integrate datasets from different sources. This is because of the diversity of data standards, specifications and arrangements which have been utilized by organizations. Data providers adopt spatial data standards and specifications and establish data sharing arrangement based on their requirements which may differ form other organizations. Therefore, multi-source spatial datasets are associated with technical and non-technical inconsistency and heterogeneity. In order to facilitate the integration of multi-source spatial datasets, the investigation of the data integration process, potential barriers and challenges of spatial data integration and possible enablers and solutions is necessary. This paper aims to provide an investigation on the spatial data integration as a compelling reason for spatial data sharing. The investigation approach is based on a number of case studies. The case study investigation has also highlighted and identified a number of technical and non-technical barriers and issues of multi-source spatial data integration. The paper also capitalizes on the analysis of the case study investigation to identify the possible tools, solutions and enablers which can be utilized to facilitate the integration of multi-source datasets. In this regard, the paper presents a spatial data integration toolbox. The toolbox consists of a number of components including spatial data validation and integration tool, associated guidelines; and data integration metadata and data specification documents. The design and development of a spatial data validation and integration tool and associated guidelines have also been presented in the paper.