Open Maps For Europe 2 (OME2) expands Open Cadastral Map with four new countries

Open Maps For Europe 2 (OME2) has added Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovakia to the latest update of the Open Cadastral Map.

As a result, 10 countries are now included in the prototype map service for European cadastral data. This compiles and harmonises INSPIRE open data to provide users with an overview of the information available with user-friendly links for direct download from data providers’ national geoportals.

OME2 is enhancing the Open Cadastral Map prototype, which is available through the Open Maps For Europe interface, and also developing a strategy that will increase the use of European cadastral data by making it more findable and accessible. The project, co-funded by the European Union, is being delivered by a consortium comprising: EuroGeographics; National Geographic Institute, Belgium; National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information, France; Hellenic Cadastre; General Directorate for the Cadastre, Spain; and Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, The Netherlands.

Victoria Persson, Project Manager – Data Access and Integration at EuroGeographics, said: “OME2’s vision is that the Open Cadastral Map becomes a single point to access pan-European high-value cadastral data enabling users to easily find authoritative information. To do this, we are developing common processes, guidelines and best practices, aligned to key European and global policies, for integrating data from National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities.”

“The pan-European Cadastral Data Strategy will define stakeholders as well as the technology, processes, resources and best practices required to support the long-term delivery of official high-value data for addresses, cadastral parcels, buildings and administrative units.”

“User needs are at the heart of OME2, and our aim is not only to promote access to high-value data but also its use. We invite all users to provide feedback and to share their case studies. The Project can be contacted through the Open Maps For Europe contact form.”

In addition to Greece, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovakia, the Open Cadastral Map prototype covers the Czech Republic, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. Machine-readable metadata for the data service is now available on the European Data Portal. 

EuroGeographics is an international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration: 833 607 112) and the membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities.

The OME2 project is co-funded by the European Union. It is being delivered by a consortium comprising: EuroGeographics, the not-for-profit membership association for Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities; National Geographic Institute, Belgium; National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information, France; Hellenic Cadastre; General Directorate for the Cadastre, Spain; and Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, The Netherlands.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.

Open Maps For Europe 2 (OME2) offers new download option for harmonised high-value data prototype

Users of high-value large-scale geospatial data can now download the Open Maps For Europe 2 (OME2) prototype via www.mapsforeurope.org.

Version one of the prototype was launched earlier this year and provides 1: 10 000 scale authoritative administrative boundary and transport data for Belgium, France and The Netherlands. The new function enables the data to be downloaded by theme, country or administrative area using GeoPackage, an open format for geospatial information. Users preferring a web streaming service can continue to choose from WFS, WMS or WMTS.

Victoria Persson, Project Manager – Data Access and Integration at EuroGeographics, the not-for-profit membership association for Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities which is coordinating the Project, said: “User needs are at the heart of OME2, and our aim is not only to promote access to high-value data but also its use.”

“The new download feature is particularly beneficial for those requiring ready-to-use authoritative data for desktop GIS and digital map production, such as the European institutions. The next release of data will be available by the end of 2024 and, by the end of 2025, the prototype is expected to cover 10 countries with three datasets that users have identified as key themes: administrative boundaries, transport and hydrography.”

“OME2 authoritative data from official national sources is harmonised across countries and available via the Open Maps For Europe interface under a single open licence. This saves users time, effort and resources as they no longer need to visit individual Member State geoportals to access specific datasets, spend significant resources connecting them, or agree to multiple licences.”

The OME2 project, co-funded by the European Union, is being delivered by a consortium comprising: EuroGeographics; National Geographic Institute, Belgium; National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information, France; Hellenic Cadastre; General Directorate for the Cadastre, Spain; and Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, The Netherlands.

In addition to developing a new production process and technical specification for free-to-use, edge-matched data, it is also enhancing the five existing datasets, including the pilot Open Cadastral Map, available via Open Maps For Europe online interface, developed by IDOX France.

All users of OME2 data are encouraged to provide feedback on functionality and to share their case studies. The Project can be contacted through the Open Maps For Europe contact form.

EuroGeographics is an international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration: 833 607 112) and the membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities.

The OME2 project is co-funded by the European Union. It is being delivered by a consortium comprising: EuroGeographics, the not-for-profit membership association for Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities; National Geographic Institute, Belgium; National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information, France; Hellenic Cadastre; General Directorate for the Cadastre, Spain; and Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, The Netherlands.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.

Official geospatial data helps Copernicus map out emergency responses to extreme weather

Official geospatial data is proving vital to emergency response as extreme weather conditions become more frequent.

Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia are just three examples where data from the national authorities responsible for geospatial, cadastre and land registration have been fundamental to activations of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. The case studies published by EuroGeographics, the Association for Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities, show the value of official geospatial information for evaluating and aiding wildfire recovery, assessing landslide risk in wake of heavy rainfall, and assessing damage from a record-breaking windstorm.

The official national data is provided through a framework agreement between the European Environment Agency (EEA) and EuroGeographics which streamlines the licensing process for three Copernicus Services: the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service; the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS); and the Copernicus Security Service (CSS), increasing the number of datasets available via the Copernicus Reference Data Access (CORDA) database.

Angela Baker, Head of Partnerships and Sustainability, EuroGeographics said: “The most recent bulletin from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (CS3) reveals that much of Europe experienced above-average precipitation with heavy rainfall, floods and associated damage in Central and Eastern regions in September 2024. However, severe wildfires were observed over the western and southern Iberian Peninsula where it was drier than average.”

“The new case studies we have published demonstrate how our agreement with the EEA is delivering authoritative national geospatial data to the Copernicus In-Situ Component to enable emergency response, risk and recovery for these types of extreme weather events. The framework licence is key to increasing the use of our members’ data and strengthening cooperation between National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities and Copernicus Services. We were delighted to highlight it as a practical solution for overcoming legal barriers to data access for disaster response and recovery, security and land services at the 14th Session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management in New York.”

“Copernicus Services also have access to harmonised, value-added administrative boundary data through our agreement with Eurostat, as well as pan-European topographic, gazetteer and imagery datasets and services delivered through the Open Maps for Europe interface and the Open Maps For Europe 2 project (OME2).”

 Jose Miguel Rubio Iglesias, Copernicus In-Situ Data Expert, EEA added: “Without in-situ data, the Copernicus Programme simply cannot deliver its data, products and services. Our agreement with EuroGeographics facilitates access to geospatial information from official providers across Europe to help meet end user requirements regarding content and quality. It also allows for increased data delivery from EuroGeographics members in the future, ensuring that National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities are recognised for their essential contributions to Copernicus.”

The case studies focus on:

• Latvia where authoritative data provided by the Latvian Geospatial Information Agency (LGIA) was essential for assessing forest damage in the aftermath of a record-breaking storm.
• Portugal where national landscape data was provided by the Directorate General for the Territory to enable insights into the impact of one of the country’s biggest ever wildfires.
• Slovenia where detailed height data provided by the Surveying and Mapping Authority was key to assessing the risk of landslides and soil erosion following heavy rainfall.

The case studies are available online.

EuroGeographics is an international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration: 833 607 112) and the membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities.

The OME2 project is co-funded by the European Union. It is being delivered by a consortium comprising: EuroGeographics, the not-for-profit membership association for Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities; National Geographic Institute, Belgium; National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information, France; Hellenic Cadastre; General Directorate for the Cadastre, Spain; and Cadastre, Land Registry and Agency, The Netherlands.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.

Open Maps For Europe was co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union and ended in 2022. It was coordinated by EuroGeographics, the voice of European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities, in partnership with the National Geographic Institute (NGI) Belgium.

Importance of EU funding for pan-European authoritative geospatial data for Digital Europe’s Data Spaces

European Union (EU) funding is essential to ensure official pan-European geospatial data can be used in the development of Digital Europe’s Data Spaces.

In its response to the programme’s stakeholder consultation, EuroGeographics, the not-for-profit association for Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities (NMCAs), has stressed that authoritative data is as important as the infrastructure upon which the data spaces will be built. It added that without appropriate longer-term funding mechanisms directly linked to EU policy areas, pan-European innovations, such as the award-winning Open Maps for Europe service, will not be feasible in the future.

Carol Agius, Head of Representation and Stakeholder Engagement, EuroGeographics said: “Digital Europe funding has enabled our members to deliver harmonised pan-European open data from more than 40 countries through the Open Maps For Europe project. By driving innovation, market development and growth to support the digital economy, this supports the Open Data and re-use of Public Sector Information (PSI) Directive.”

“Now, thanks to funding from the Digital Europe programme, we are continuing and enhancing this work through Open Maps for Europe 2 (OME2), which addresses the challenge of finding, easily accessing and licensing authoritative pan-European high-value geospatial data. Together with our members from Belgium, France, Greece, Spain and The Netherlands, we are part of the OME2 project consortium creating a new production process and technical specification to release a prototype for edge-matched, large-scale pan-European datasets covering 10 countries.”

“OME2 therefore directly supports the implementation of the European Strategy for Data – including the Open Data and re-use of PSI Directive, the opening of the high-value datasets, and the evolution of the INSPIRE Directive towards the GreenData4All initiative – and demonstrates how demand for geospatial information in all its common data spaces can be met.”

“Whilst organisations have a responsibility to be sustainable post-project, the challenge in relation to open data is securing the necessary funding to ensure the continuous release of up-to-date, harmonised and easily accessible information of at least the same or improved quality and quantity.”

“Programmes supporting digital transition, such as Digital Europe, should provide the solution so it is disappointing that the future strategic funding is linked to different policy areas; there is no mention of open data or the provision of data for the Data Spaces.  As a result, it is difficult for EuroGeographics and its members to link any future activity to the Digital Europe programme. This will stifle innovation, in particular the development of large-scale, high-value pan-European data from the European NMCAs, which OME2 feedback indicates is a stakeholder requirement.”

“If the European Commission would like further innovations within the data areas, there must be appropriate funding mechanisms that are directly linked to EU policy areas.”

In its submission, EuroGeographics also asked that particular importance is placed on Digital Europe’s response to stakeholder needs, as well as how it is adapting to the data requirements of business, citizens, and public administrations. It recommends that particular emphasis is put on the pan-European data requirements of these groups, which is beyond the national remit of NMCAs.

Read EuroGeographics response to the Commission Call for Evidence for an Interim evaluation of the Digital Europe programme. 

EuroGeographics is an international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration: 833 607 112) and the membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities.

EuroGeographics is registered on the EU Transparency Register and bound by its code of conduct: TR 51080067776-74

The OME2 project is co-funded by the European Union. It is being delivered by a consortium comprising: EuroGeographics, the not-for-profit membership association for Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities; National Geographic Institute, Belgium; National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information, France; Hellenic Cadastre; General Directorate for the Cadastre, Spain; and Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, The Netherlands.

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.