State Boundaries of Europe Forum

Aim, objectives and mission

The aims and objectives for the SBE Forum are:

1. Identify approaches in harmonising national spatial data between neighbouring countries and means achieving pan-European coverage;
2. Develop processes in defining the agreed lines/points for connecting (edge-matching) features along borders;
3. Collect and maintain the boundary related information including its legal definition, connecting nodes and the representative borders in spatial datasets and services (by certain level of details);
4. Share best practice in agreeing and harmonising national or regional data with the data of public authorities of neighbouring countries;
5. Provide guidance and recommendations to NMCAs on applied tools, procedures and specifications.
6. Facilitate a dialogue amongst NMCAs experts for finding solutions and dealing with issues on cross border interoperability of spatial data, provide support and advices

Topics of interest

The main topics and subject areas covered by the SBE Forum are the following:

1. Issues and challenges determining boundary information and achieving (in practice) seamless panEuropean coverages.
2. Methods and approaches agreeing the connecting points and lines of spatial data across national borders.
3. Bet practice cases in agreeing spatial data connectivity along borders.
4. Updates of national boundaries.
5. Tools and guidance edge-matching spatial features along borders.
6. Repository of the information delivering reference boundary data for an implementation of cross-border interoperability of spatial features.

Events

• Annual SBE KEN plenary meeting in Brussels, 8-9 November 2018
• Annual SBE KEN plenary meeting in Florence, 23-24 November, 2017