President’s Statement on Secretary General and Executive Director

EuroGeographics has today announced that Léa Bodossian is to leave the Association after almost two-and-half-years as Secretary General and Executive Director.

Léa joined EuroGeographics when the global pandemic was redefining business as usual and, during this time and under her leadership, the Association swiftly refocussed its operations to continue to provide benefits to members, meet user requirements for official geospatial data, and establish partnerships to form the foundations for future collaborations. 

As a result, together with its members, EuroGeographics is now ready to face the future with a renewed cooperation with major institutional stakeholders at European level (Eurostat, the European Environment Agency, the Commission, the European Parliament) and global level (a letter of collaboration with the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the Secretariat of the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management’s (UN-GGIM)).

The Management Board, on behalf of all members, wishes to warmly thank Léa for her energy, dedication, and ethical approach to EuroGeographics, as well as her commitment to the membership in order to ensure that members roles, capabilities and concerns are understood in Europe and beyond. 

Léa will leave EuroGeographics on 26 January 2023. In the interim, Sallie Payne Snell will be Acting Secretary General and Executive Director.

Colin Bray, President, EuroGeographics

Call for sustained funding to invest in pan-European maps for a data-driven Europe

National providers of geospatial information are calling for sustained funding for pan-European mapping to ensure that the power of official location data can be unlocked for the benefit of all.

The importance of investment in trusted and reliable geospatial data to realise the EU’s decade of action was demonstrated by members of EuroGeographics during a special debate for MEPs and policy-makers at the European Parliament. EuroGeographics is the not-for-profit membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities.

Opening the discussion, Cristian Bușoi, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), said: “Data is an essential resource for economic growth, competitiveness, innovation, job creation and societal progress in general. The entire European Strategy for Data and legislative packages, scrutinised by the ITRE Committee that I am chairing, focuses ultimately on putting people first in developing technology, and defending and promoting European values and rights in the digital world.”

“All data producers, and especially public data providers, must ensure that their data is ready to underpin this decade of action. They have an immense responsibility to ensure that their data meets citizens’ needs and supports national and European bodies to address the challenges they are facing.”

“It is not enough to possess the data It must be widely accessible, reusable, trustworthy and secure. This is what EuroGeographics is doing with its latest project – Open Maps For Europe which I am sure will be very successful.”

Colin Bray, President, EuroGeographics said: “Members’ data is fundamental to the everyday lives of people across Europe. From realising national climate targets and biodiversity plans, and responding to natural disasters, to managing Covid recovery, and enabling multimodal transport strategies and digital transformation, they are providing maps for a data-driven Europe. The issues we face extend beyond national boundaries and you can count on us to provide the most accurate and up to date information available.”

“Our Open Maps For Europe project addresses the challenges of knowing where to find and access trusted interoperable geospatial open data from multiple official sources. It demonstrates how our members can work together to produce pan-European open data by sharing the lessons learnt and best practice, whilst also providing national open data beyond borders. In doing so, it is realising the benefits of the Open Data Public Sector Information (PSI) Directive which specifically identifies geospatial as a category of high value datasets.”

“Our challenge now is to meet the needs of users in a way that can be sustained for the benefit of all. By investing in the collection, management, coordination and intelligent use, the power of location data can be leveraged for the benefit of all.”

“By recognising the value of location data and committing to funding, we can create appropriate data infrastructures to enable a sustainable, safer, and prosperous European society.”

During the event, case studies were presented by:

• The National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information on how ‘Geo-common’ strategy supports major Lidar and land use projects.
• The Netherlands Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency to provide an insight into potential of solar energy​,
• General Directorate for Cadastre Spain to demonstrate the value of cadastral information in managing natural disasters,
• Ordnance Survey Ireland to highlight a data sharing platform at the heart of national response to Covid-19.
• National Geographic Institute, Belgium on its contribution to Belgian’s National Access Point for multimodal transport information,
• Danish Agency for Data Supply and Infrastructure to show how integrated government data across sectors is strengthening digital society.

View case studies.

More information about the Open Maps For Europe Project, which is co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union.

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.

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

The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of EuroGeographics and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.

Open Maps For Europe adds data from four more countries for final release

Open Maps For Europe has today announced that official geospatial data from four additional countries is included in the project’s third and final release. 

North Macedonia and Switzerland have contributed multi-themed topographic open data for 1:250 000 scale EuroRegionalMap, with Denmark and Slovenia adding their data to the Cadastral Index Map prototype. North Macedonia has also provided authoritative geographical names for the multilingual Open Gazetteer.

The pan-European open datasets are created by members of EuroGeographics which represents the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities. 

“We are delighted to announce that four more countries are contributing data to this third and final release of the Open Maps For Europe project,”said Victoria Persson, Project Manager – Data Access and Integration, EuroGeographics.

“Since the release of the first datasets in September 2021, we have been continually improving and increasing coverage using our unique data integration process. This customised approach harmonises official national geospatial information to standard specifications, so users can be confident that it is consistent, comparable and easily shared.”

“Open Maps For Europe project addresses the challenges of accessing trusted interoperable geospatial open data from multiple official sources. It demonstrates how our members can work together to produce pan-European open data to realise the benefits of the Open Data Public Sector Information (PSI) Directive which specifically identifies geospatial as a category of high value datasets. “

The Open Maps For Europe online interface, developed by thinkWhere, an Idox company, enables users to discover, view, license and download the open datasets including topographic and height data, imagery, Open Gazetteer service and the Open Cadastral Map prototype.

Open Maps For Europe is co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union and runs until 31 December 2022.

The project is coordinated by EuroGeographics in partnership with the National Geographic Institute (NGI) Belgium

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. It currently brings together members from 46 countries, covering the whole of geographical Europe.

The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of EuroGeographics and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.

Maps for a data-driven Europe to be showcased at European Parliament

EuroGeographics and its members, the national providers of official geospatial information, will showcase next level mapping for modern-day data infrastructures at the European Parliament on 29 November.
 
The debate with MEPs and policy-makers, organised by Cristian Bușoi, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), will discuss the benefits of maps for a data-driven Europe. It will demonstrate how location is the link between information and action across national boundaries to enable a sustainable, safer, and prosperous European society.
 
Mr Bușoi says: “Every data producer in the world, especially public data providers, must ensure that their data is ready to underpin this decade of action.”
 
“This is an immense responsibility for EuroGeographics and its members in ensuring that the data meets the needs and requirements of European Union's institutions and supports them in addressing the challenges they are facing.”

“The quality of the data is utterly important – authoritative data that comes from official sources is crucial for decision makers. I'm confident that EuroGeographics members will help build this data driven society, and we encourage them to enhance the existing data infrastructure and support the creation of pan-European datasets.”

Colin Bray, President of EuroGeographics, which represents the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities, adds: “Knowing where to find and access accurate, high quality, reliable high-value data is essential for governments and decision-makers making critical decisions.”

“In this ever-connected world, our members have moved from database production to providing data infrastructures to play a vital role in joining-up information from different sources to help provide insight and answers to address the key issues we face as a global society. Whether tackling climate change, managing Covid recovery, or maintaining security during times of conflict, these challenges extend beyond national boundaries and those making difficult decisions that impact on us all need the most accurate and up to date information available.”

“We are delighted to showcase the Open Maps For Europe project which addresses the challenges of accessing trusted geospatial open data from multiple official sources.”

“By working together to deliver pan-European data, our members are demonstrating not only what can be achieved through Europe-wide cooperation, but also the benefits that result for the wider public good, specifically in support of policy decision-making at the European level.”

The debate between policymakers and official geographical data providers, takes place on 29 November in the European Parliament.  

https://www.mapsforeurope.org/

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. It currently brings together members from 46 countries, covering the whole of geographical Europe.

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

The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of EuroGeographics and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.

Open Maps For Europe wins BeGeo Best Project Award

Open Maps For Europe has been awarded the GeoSpatial 2022 Professional Best Project Award at the BeGEO congress in Brussels.

The seventh BeGeo Congress, organised by The National Geographic Institute Belgium and Agoria, with the support of TMAB Business Events, pulled together geo-information experts from government, academia and the private sector in the Benelux area.

Accepting the award on behalf of the Open Maps for Europe consortium and EuroGeographics members, Sallie Payne Snell, Head of Operations said: "We are delighted that the jury of experts recognised this innovative approach to unlocking the power of open data from official national sources, as well as the economic potential to be gained by realising the benefits of the Open Data Public Sector Information (PSI) Directive which specifically identifies geospatial as a category of high value datasets."

“Open Maps for Europe is the first time that pan-European datasets, created using our members authoritative geospatial information and EuroGeographics’ unique data integration process, have been easily discoverable, accessible, and released as open data under a single licence. This customised approach harmonises official national geospatial information to standard specifications so users can be confident that it is consistent, comparable and easily shared.”

“The easy-to-use online user interface addresses the challenges of accessing trusted geospatial open datasets created from multiple official national sources and includes topographic and height data, imagery, Open Gazetteer service and Open Cadastral Map prototype.”

The Open Maps For Europe online interface, developed by thinkWhere, an Idox company, enables users to discover, view, license and download the open datasets.

By October 2022, more than 3,000 unique users had registered to access the data at www.mapsforeurope.org; a six-fold increase since its September 2021 launch.

Open Maps For Europe, which is co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union, demonstrates how National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities can work together to produce pan-European open data by sharing the lessons learnt and best practice, whilst also promoting authoritative national open data beyond borders.

The project shows not only what can be achieved through Europe-wide cooperation, but also the benefits that result for the wider public good, specifically in support of policy decision-making at the European level.

Users include the European Environment Agency (EEA) European Ground Motion Service (EGMS); the EU External Action Service for planning military mobility and investment; and a tactile map project for the visually impaired.

Open Maps For Europe runs until 31 December 2022.

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.

Open Maps For Europe is coordinated by EuroGeographics, the voice of European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities, in partnership with the National Geographic Institute (NGI) Belgium.

The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of EuroGeographics and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.

National providers of official geospatial data map out role in EU decade of action

Ensuring decision-makers understand the roles, capabilities, and concerns of national sources of official map, cadastral and land registration data is key to the success of the European Union’s decade of action.

EuroGeographics, the voice of Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities, has highlighted how members’ Europe-wide cooperation forms the foundation for collaborations to realise a wide range of policies, including the EU’s Digital Decade and Green Deal.

Speaking after participating in the Society of European Affairs Professionals 2022 General Assembly, Stefania Bostan, EU Public Affairs Consultant, EuroGeographics commented: “Whether it’s geospatial or land information, data and services provided by our members are a fundamental part of our everyday lives.”

“From apps for exploring outside, to ordering food deliveries; from online gaming to ensuring we pay the correct amount of tax, many of us are using their information no less than 40 times a day, often without even realising.”

“To fulfil our vision of a society enabled by our members’ trusted geospatial data, EuroGeographics has to provide a credible and legitimate voice for official sources of national mapping, cadastral and land registration information.”

“We demonstrate our commitment to constructive participation in policy development and legislative programmes through our Membership of the Society of European Affairs Professionals, and our registration on the EU Transparency Register."

"This provides confidence to decision-makers that, in the same way as our members can be trusted to provide accurate reliable information, EuroGeographics can be trusted to support the public good by providing a single point of contact for government, business and citizens to benefit from members’ collective expertise, data and services.”

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 selected as friend of the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change

EuroGeographics, the voice of Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities, is delighted to be selected as a friend of the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change.

The international not-for-profit association fully endorses the Mission’s charter and, together with its members, is committed to using its expertise and extensive network to strive towards climate resilience by 2030.

“Location is a powerful tool; it tells us where things happen but also provides the link between information and action so we can target action and coordinate responses,” says Léa Bodossian, Secretary General and Executive Director of EuroGeographics.

“As a friend of the EU Mission Adaptation to Climate Change, we will facilitate access to the wealth of expertise within our membership to support a range of actions that require the best available knowledge for adaptation to climate change and solutions.”

“Our members’ official data is already being used to realise national climate targets and biodiversity plans, and deliver smarter, sustainable, intelligent transport. However, climate challenges extend beyond national boundaries, and all too often borders prove to be obstacles in translating national benefits into international policy success.”

“In partnership with our members, we provide the only interoperable pan-European datasets created using official authoritative geospatial data. These include topographic data, imagery and a digital elevation model, which are released as open data through the Open Maps for Europe project, and can be used for cross-border action.”

“We are delighted to be selected as a friend of Mission and look forward to contributing to its success as part of a community committed to developing innovative solutions to adapt to climate change.”

EU Missions are a new way to bring concrete solutions to some of our greatest challenges. The main goal of the Mission Adaptation to Climate Change is to support at least 150 European regions and communities towards climate resilience by 2030. 

The mission will foster the development of innovative solutions to adapt to climate change and encourage regions, cities and communities to lead the societal transformation.

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.

Open Maps for Europe is co-ordinated by EuroGeographics in partnership with National Geographic Institute (NGI) Belgium, and co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union.

The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of EuroGeographics and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.

Collaboration with UN-GGIM focuses on knowledge exchange as a key to unlocking power of geospatial data

A new international collaboration will unlock the power of geospatial data to benefit people and planet by providing a platform for knowledge exchange and capacity building.

The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) – the Secretariat of the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management’s (UN-GGIM) – and EuroGeographics, the international not-for-profit membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities, will work together to address key global challenges, specifically capacity development for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Signing the letter of collaboration between the two organisations, Stefan Schweinfest, Director, UNSD says: “We share a common goal of using the power of geospatial data to benefit society. The collaboration with EuroGeographics’ enables UN-GGIM to benefit from its extensive experience in maintaining knowledge exchange and capacity-building networks.”

“This will be an important contribution to UN-GGIM’s leadership in ensuring that geospatial information and resources are coordinated, maintained, accessible and able to be leveraged by Member States and society to find sustainable solutions for social, economic and environmental development.”

Colin Bray, President, EuroGeographics says: “EuroGeographics and its members place tremendous value on collaborating to find solutions to common challenges and to build capacity. This willingness to share experiences and best practice is central to the success of our knowledge exchange activities.”

“This collaboration recognises our extensive experience and expertise in facilitating knowledge exchange, and we are delighted to extend our extensive programme, including case studies, meetings, webinars and workshops, to the broader UN-GGIM community through this agreement.”

“Official digital mapping plays an important role in helping to address the key global and regional issues that affect society and the planet, such as poverty, climate change, sustainable development, a digital economy, migration, security and health.”

“As the national authorities for official geospatial reference data in Europe, high quality and reliability is the calling card of our members. In an ever-changing world, our members play an important and often critical role in helping to address global and regional issues that do not stop at borders and require collaboration and cooperation to ensure an effective global response.”

The collaboration will focus on common objectives, including:

• Sharing case studies demonstrating the power of geospatial information in addressing societal needs and challenges;
• Collaborating to develop knowledge exchange activities, including virtually, that promote and build capacity on items and topics that fall within the broad programme of UN-GGIM and the scope of EuroGeographics;
• Providing access to existing knowledge exchange libraries and knowledge bases to the wider global community; and
• Advocating, communicating and promoting the value and power of geospatial information for sustainable development and evidence-based decision making.

The collaboration agreement was signed during the recent twelfth session of UN-GGIM in New York, where EuroGeographics confirmed its continuing commitment to helping to strengthen the global geospatial infrastructure.

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 welcomes strengthened UN-GGIM

EuroGeographics has welcomed the strengthening of the United Nation’s Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management’s (UN-GGIM) mandate and Secretariat resources.

“The resolution adopted by the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) recognises that a strong global geospatial infrastructure is an essential enabler for achieving a sustainable future for all,” says Léa Bodossian, Secretary General and Executive Director, EuroGeographics.

“Many of our members contributed to the work of the Committee of Experts’ and we are delighted to see such high-level acknowledgement of the crucial importance of location data. We welcome the recognition of knowledge sharing, and we value the importance given to capacity-building to ensure no one is left behind.”

Léa Bodossian made her comments during the twelfth session of UN-GGIM in New York where the not-for-profit association made a series of interventions as an Observer organisation.

She also confirmed EuroGeographics’ commitment to using its unique expertise in authoritative data and its extensive and well-established regional knowledge exchange networks to support a range of international initiatives, including the UN Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Geospatial Roadmap, and the Framework for Effective Land Administration (FELA).

In particular, the Association offered its support to help strengthen the global geospatial infrastructure in building a bridge between the statistical and geospatial communities. Its aim is to facilitate coordination, collaboration, and communication within the international geospatial community via its extensive membership of national mapping, cadastral and land registration authorities, and well-established network for sharing knowledge.

EuroGeographics continues to facilitate the provision of harmonised open data from official national sources for the United Nations Second Administrative Level Boundaries (SALB) initiative. The 1:1 million scale topographic open dataset, EuroGlobalMap is created using the Association’s unique data integration process and assists the project’s aim of compiling global administrative boundaries data from authoritative sources.

The Association reiterated the importance of trusted information from official national providers and was pleased to see that its research outlining the concept of authoritative data in Europe was the basis for the Working Group on Policy and Legal Frameworks for Geospatial Information Management’s initial thinking.

“Official, authoritative data is important because it supports a range of legal, fiscal, security and other public administrative purposes​,” says Léa Bodossian. “For example, cadastral authorities and land registries fulfil an essential role providing official, detailed, secure and reliable information on property rights and registration.”

“This trusted data is essential to meeting increasingly challenging national, regional and global demands, and EuroGeographics is committed to continuing to contribute to the public good through its vision of a society empowered by the use of trusted geospatial services from its members.”

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.

Official providers of geospatial data call for joint vision in implementation of high value datasets

National providers of official geospatial information have welcomed the European Commission’s Regulation proposal on high-value datasets (HVD) but caution that they must receive adequate support to implement it.

Responding to the consultation on behalf of its members, EuroGeographics, the voice of Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authorities says that the goal can only be achieved as a joint vision and action of policymakers, data holders and data users.

It identifies three main areas of concern: Clarification of technical aspects; sustainable funding; and coordination mechanism and vision to support the long-term development of EU data strategy.

“The value of data lies in its use and re-use, therefore our members are keen to effectively implement this Regulation and increase the availability of their data in the single market, and beyond” says Léa Bodossian, Secretary General and Executive Director, EuroGeographics.

“As key contributors to the European data policy, our members are among the most experienced and relevant interested parties in the proposed Regulation, and are keen to have their data generate significant socio-economic benefits. Members’ data is recognised as a significant enabler of national and cross-border applications and services in earth observation, environment, and mobility, as well as the geospatial thematic category.”

“Our members’ informed opinion is that meeting the Regulation’s requirements is a substantial. challenge which extends beyond opening their data. Success, overall coherence and long-term sustainability are not possible without adequate technical, financial and organisational support.”

This requires investment in infrastructures as well as outreach and education. Finally, the full power of geodata cannot be achieved if the data is not made interoperable. To that end, a more operational coordination ought to be ensured.”

EuroGeographics already has first-hand experience in implementing the HVD Regulation through the Open Maps for Europe project (co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility programme). This provides easy access to free to use harmonised official geospatial open pan-European data and thus addresses the risk of fragmented implementation, which was specifically recognised as a key obstacle to the functioning of the single market for data.

Léa Bodossian concludes: “Our members' data serves as a basis for countless policies at national and European levels. We believe in a modern, digital and green society empowered by the use of trusted geospatial and other data from these official national sources, many of which are defined as high-value datasets.”

“We want to make sure that we can continue to serve, in the long term, data policies for the European greater good and are confident that dialogue with the legislator will help solve these issues.”

To read EuroGeographics full feedback on the Commission proposal, visit https://bit.ly/EGHVD

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 Open Maps For Europe project, which is co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union, is coordinated by EuroGeographics in partnership with the National Geographic Institute (NGI) Belgium.

To find out more, please visit https://www.mapsforeurope.org/

The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of EuroGeographics and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union.