New partnership to smooth access to NZ's environmental information - 23/11/2011
Crown Research Institutes GNS Science, Landcare Research and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) are working together with the New Zealand Geospatial Office to improve the flow of environmental data among government agencies by harmonising the systems used for managing it.
The move will significantly improve the ability of scientists, research agencies, and other end users to access and share information, reducing duplication and enhancing co-operation.
Environmental information in New Zealand is currently collected by a wide range of government agencies including regional councils and district councils, State Owned Enterprises, and research organisations. Each uses varying methods and systems, making the sharing of data and co-operation difficult.
Spatial information that is currently collected by institutes and government agencies and stored in a variety of databases and systems. This makes it difficult to access and be used in an effective manner
"Spatial information that is currently collected by institutes and government agencies and stored in a variety of databases and systems. This makes it difficult to access and be used in an effective manner,’” says Lynley Smith, Applications Manager at GNS Science.
“Using these tools will unlock that data and save New Zealand both money and time spent in searching or re-collecting it."
As well as costs savings for taxpayers, the new information sharing system could generate possible further benefits by improving access to environmental information.
The partnership is using an open source information sharing system called Spatial Information Services Stack (SISS), which was developed in Australia. SISS systems can be built on top of any local database, allowing the sharing of information across disparate systems, and because it is ‘open source’ the initial set-up costs are relatively low.
Both GNS Science and Landcare have already set up partial SISS systems, with other agencies expected to begin work in the next three to six months.
"This is the first step towards a new era of information sharing in New Zealand."
On 22 November 2011 NIWA, GNS Science and Landcare Research, along with specialists from Australia, will be hosting a workshop for system architects, information practitioners, and web service creators from a range of New Zealand agencies to learn more about SISS.