The harmonisation of spatial planning data according to the INSPIRE Directive based on the existing best practices in EU regions and municipalities and the results of current research projects is the main focus of the European eContentplus project Plan4all. Plan4all will forum SDI in spatial planning, a database of best practices and analysis of best practices in terms of organisation, sharing, harmonisation and SDI recommendations for spatial planning.
Although there are basically the same ideas and concepts behind urban and spatial planning across Europe, the legal situation is completely fragmented. Current planning laws are disjointed and even experts from one country might have difficulties to understand the planning regulations of a neighbouring country. For investors and decision makers it is almost impossible to compare planning regulations across Europe.
Plan4all will significantly contribute to improve this situation.
www.plan4all.eu.
INSPIRE – Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community
On 24 February 2011 a seminar for public and private actors active in the field of spatial planning in Europe was held in Brussels/B. The topic was ‘Spatial Planning in Europe in terms of INSPIRE’.
Due to the lack of availalaibility, quality, organisation and sharing of spatial information experienced across various levels of public authorities in Europe, the European Community decided in 2007 to establish an European infrastructure for spatial information. This infrastructure called „INSPIRE – Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community“ is under contruction and has to be operational in 2014.
The Seminar organised by ISOCARP within the Plan4all Project discussed first the question of INSPIRE and spatial planning, related to the Plan4all project, and focussed in a second part on public and private actors active in the field of spatial planning having to deal with INSPIRE in a near future: Environment, Spatial Planning, Real Estate Industry. Final Programme
The results of the seminar and presentations are now available online and can be downloaded: http://www.plan4all.eu/simplecms/?menuID=29&articleID=86&action=article&presenter=ArticleDetail
According to the EC Directive 2007, a harmonized Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) has to be established in the near future in all member states of the the EU, covering 25 spatial relevant themes.
The harmonized spatial data will assist policy-making in relation to legislation and activities that have a direct or indirect impact on the environment. For public and private actors, this new pan-European Spatial Data Infrastructure will have crucial consequences on procedures and methodologies for spatial data sharing, new spatial planning standards, regional planning and land-use planning in Europe. Plan4all, addressing data harmonization for 7 specific spatial themes, is one of the projects set up to realize the aims of INSPIRE.
Final Conference of the Plan4all Project
Brussels, 13 October 2011
The first part of the Conference consisted of three keynote speeches from the DG Environment, the Joint Research Centre and the DG Region, and the second part presented the results of this EU Project funded by the eContent+ Program, which was focusing on the harmonization of spatial planning data based on the existing best practices in EU regions and municipalities. It involved detailed description of the current description, and proposes, tests and implements spatial planning metadata profile, common data model and harmonization procedures on the topics of e.g. land cover, land use, utility and government services, agricultural facilities, area management and risk zones.
Plan4all BOOK: a comprehensive report on the EU-funded Plan 4all Project – “Interoperability for Spatial Planning” on the harmonisation of planning data according to INSPIRE guidelines is now available as well as paperback as for download in PDF-format and free distribution!
Plan4all has considered ending with a printed book that summarises the work and the achievements, mainly on the basis of the idea that the achieved results about spatial planning interoperability should be spread among the wider communities at EU and international level as well. The Plan4all project delivers technical results that will be of interest for spatial planners, GI experts and ICT professionals. The Plan4all project fosters the exchange of ideas and experiences between those professional communities. To be fruitful, such dialogue requires a common language. This book, focusing on the approaches more than on the technicalities, is aimed to contribute to this common language.
More information and download at: www.plan4all.eu/simplecms/?menuID=29&articleID=118&action=article&presenter=ArticleDetail
You can order a copy of the book “Plan 4all Project – Interoperability for Spatial Planning” for free by sending an email to:
Thomas Mildorf
Plan4all Coordinator
Department of Mathematics – Section of Geomatics
Faculty of Applied Sciences
University of West Bohemia
Univerzitni 22
CZ – 306 14 Plzen
mildorf(at)plan4all.eu
Tel: +420-377 632 673
Fax: +420-377 632 602