Assessing the Impacts of Spatial Data Infrastructures: Methods and Gaps

The paper builds on the experience of the authors in preparing an extended impact assessment for the INSPIRE initiative of the European Commission, to discuss the methods deployed and their appropriateness, and reflect then on the gaps in existing knowledge relating to spatial data infrastructures (SDIs), and some of the apparent missing linkages between the development of these infrastructures and the knowledge economy. The value of the paper stems from the growing recognition world-wide of the importance of SDIs to underpin social and economic development, and good governance on the one hand, and the apparent dearth of research substantiating the costs and benefits of such infrastructures on the other. The paper is organized in four sections. The first introduces SDIs, and the lessons learned about their potential role in the knowledge economy during the GINIE project, of which the principal author was the scientific coordinator. The second evaluates the methods used in the extended impact assessment of INSPIRE and the limitations that became apparent during this exercise in our current knowledge about SDIs. The third links the debate about SDIs with the role of institutions in fostering innovation and competitiveness in regional economies, and the fourth puts forward a research agenda to fill the gaps in knowledge and more clearly embed SDIs in regional economic strategies in the Information age.