EuroGeographics focuses on policy participation with new appointment

EuroGeographics has appointed an international relations expert to enable Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities to contribute to policy initiatives and legislation.

Dominik Kopczewski joins the international not-for-profit association as Policy Development Manager with a remit to develop positions and responses that reflect the collective views of its members. In addition to monitoring and advising on national and international policy issues, he will also be responsible for liaising with European and global organisations within the geospatial and land information sectors.

Commenting on his new position, Mr Kopczewski said: “I am delighted to be joining an organisation representing 61 organisations from 46 countries covering the whole of geographical Europe.”

“Our representation strategy is based upon the principle of constructive participation. This enables us to demonstrate members’ relevance by delivering value to policy development and legislative programmes in those areas where they have a track record, significant expertise and a legitimate interest.”

Mick Cory, Secretary General and Executive Director, EuroGeographics said: “Dominik not only brings extensive experience to his new role as Policy Development Manager, but as Chair of our Policy Knowledge Exchange Network also provides a members’ perspective on our work. We all look forward to working with him to further the wide-ranging benefits delivered by our members’ data and services.”

Mr Kopczewski previously held a number of positions at the Head Office of Geodesy and Cartography, Poland, including coordinating international relations and working on the transposition of the INSPIRE Directive. He was also actively involved in the implementation of the national spatial data infrastructure, the National Spatial Information Council.

Since 2014, he has been Chair of EuroGeographics Policy Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN) which focuses on developments such as satellite space programmes, geodetic positioning, data sharing and security, and location technologies.

Mr Kopczewski holds a Master of Arts in Spatial Management from Warsaw University and postgraduate qualifications in both international relations and diplomacy, and public relations.

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For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350 (mobile) or email: press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics

EuroGeographics is a Brussels-based international not-for-profit organisation (AISBL/ IVZW under Belgian Law. BCE registration:  833 607 112) and the membership association for the European National Mapping, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities. It currently brings together 61 members from 46 countries.

EuroGeographics is registered on the EU Transparency Register and bound by its code of conduct.

Partnership agreed to improve access to pan-European maps for Copernicus users

Users of Copernicus services are set to benefit from a new partnership which improves access to pan-European maps and land information from official sources.

The cooperation agreement signed today (29 March) between the European Environment Agency (EEA) and EuroGeographics signals a commitment to make more national authoritative geospatial information available through the European Commission’s flagship initiative for earth observation and monitoring.

Mrs Ingrid Vanden Berghe, President, EuroGeographics said: “Our members, the European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities, already provide data to crisis response teams through the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service. This new agreement strengthens and builds on their relationship with the EEA and will benefit people across Europe by supporting wider initiatives underpinned by pan-European harmonised data.”             

Dr Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director, EEA said: “Policy makers, researchers, commercial and private users, as well as the global scientific community, all use information provided by the different Copernicus services to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Europe. We are delighted to be working with EuroGeographics and its members to improve the awareness, availability and benefit of geospatial data for a wide range of applications, including climate and energy, public health, urban and regional planning, biodiversity and environmental protection, and transport and safety.”

The partnership agreement has five main objectives:

• To improve Copernicus access to EuroGeographics data and services, produced using official geospatial data from its members.
• To enhance the dialogue between Copernicus and EuroGeographics members.
• To foster knowledge exchange between Copernicus and EuroGeographics members.
• To promote awareness raising activities.
• To support initiatives to provide pan-European harmonised data services.

To facilitate coordination and communication between the two organisations, EuroGeographics is establishing a dedicated knowledge exchange network to share expertise and experiences.

Feedback from the EEA will also provide invaluable input into the delivery of future European Location Services which are being developed by EuroGeographics and its members. The vision is that these will provide the single access point for international users of harmonised, pan-European, authoritative geospatial information and services; and enable national mapping, cadastral and land registry authorities to be recognised in their international effort to contribute to the wider public good.

For more information, visit http://copernicus.eu and www.eurogeographics.org

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For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350(mobile) or email press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics
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, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities. It currently brings together 61 members from 46 countries.

EuroGeographics creates expert group to strengthen commitment to Copernicus

Members of EuroGeographics have launched an expert group to strengthen their commitment to providing harmonised pan-European geospatial data sets and services to Copernicus.

The move builds on the cooperation agreement signed earlier this year between the Association for European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities and the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The newly created Copernicus Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN) will enhance coordination and communication between the two organisations, with a focus on facilitating access to authoritative geospatial in situ reference data for use in activities initiated by EEA and the European Commission’s flagship initiative for earth observation and monitoring. It will also evaluate the Copernicus services’ requirements for geospatial data to identify data gaps and propose solutions.

Anders Sandin, Chair of the Copernicus KEN commented: “We look forward to continuing our work with the EEA to establish how access to authoritative geospatial data may be provided in line with the Copernicus programme’s data and information policy, whilst also respecting EuroGeographics members’ national policy, legislative and business requirements. This will include exploring solutions to provide full, free, and open access to geospatial data for the Copernicus programme.”

“We are also working together to make the Copernicus reference data access portal (CORDA) available for EuroGeographics members to investigate how national and regional geospatial data services can be made readily and efficiently available. Data will be provided to CORDA via a pilot project for future European Location Services being developed by EuroGeographics and its members.”

“The vision is that these will provide the single access point for international users of harmonised, pan-European, authoritative geospatial information and services; and enable national mapping, cadastral and land registry authorities to be recognised in their international effort to contribute to the wider public good.”

The co-ordinating committee of the Copernicus KEN comprises representatives from Sweden, Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain, with all members of EuroGeographics encouraged to participate in its activities.

For more information, visit eurogeographics.org.

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For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350(mobile) or email press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics
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, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities. It currently brings together 61 members from 46 countries.

EuroGeographics enhances open data for 2017

Users of EuroGeographics pan-European open data will benefit from a series of enhancements to the latest release of EuroGlobalMap.

Forty-five members of the Association for the European National Mapping, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities have contributed to the 1: 1 million dataset which includes an administrative theme providing boundary information. It also features a settlement theme with the addition of populated places and populated place ID for built up area feature classes.

Angela Baker, Sales, Marketing and Channel Manager, EuroGeographics said: “EuroGlobalMap is produced using official data supplied by our members which is harmonised to standard specifications. Following these latest updates, three themes are now generalised from our more detailed products, 1: 100 000 EuroBoundaryMap and
1: 250 000 EuroRegionalMap, giving even greater confidence that the information provided is consistent, comparable and easily shared — regardless of its national source.”

She added: “Since its launch in 2013, more than 5,800 users have downloaded EuroGlobalMap. Feedback indicates that users greatly value high quality, reliable data from authoritative sources and that open data provides a great first step in discovering the wider benefits of pan-European map and land information.”

The January 2017 release of EuroGlobalMap covers 45 countries and territories, and comprises six themes: Administrative boundaries, names locations, transport networks, settlements, elevation; and the water network. It is available free of charge under an open data licence from www.eurogeographics.org and enables a wide range of applications, including mobile mapping, demographic and socio economic analysis, hydrology, energy and environment modelling and in education and research. It is also ideal for cartographic visualisation across Europe.

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For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350 (mobile) or email: press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics
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, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities. It currently brings together 61 members from 46 countries.

To find out more about EuroGeographics, please visit eurogeographics.org.

EuroGeographics announces new Management Board

EuroGeographics has announced a new Management Board comprising senior representatives from Europe’s National Mapping, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities.

During the Association’s 2016 General Assembly in Budapest, Hungary, members elected Anne Cathrine Frøstrup, Norwegian Mapping Authority; Konstantin Koltonyuk, Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography (Rosreestr), Russia; and Darko Vujetic, Republic Geodetic Authority, Serbia to the Board.

In addition, Angela Matcov, State Agency for Land Relations and Cadastre, Moldova and Ingrid Vanden Berghe, National Geographic Institute, Belgium were both re-elected, with members also voting Mrs Vanden Berghe President for a further two years.

The EuroGeographics Management Board also comprises: Wernher Hoffmann, Federal Office of Metrology and Surveying, Austria and three representatives from the Association’s principal contributors: France, Germany and Great Britain. These are: EuroGeographics Vice President, Hansjoerg Kutterer from the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy, Germany; Sylvain Latarget, National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information, France; and David Henderson from Ordnance Survey, Great Britain.

More than 120 leaders and senior representatives from 51 organisations in 41 countries attended the annual General Assembly organised and hosted by the Institute of Geodesy, Cartography and Remote Sensing (FÖMI) and supported by the Geoinformation Service of Hungarian Defence Forces, Hungary. The two-day event, on 3 and 4 October, was officially opened by Dr Sándor Fazekas, Minister of Agriculture, Hungary with a welcome address from Mr Gabor Fekete, Director General, FÖMI and speakers from the European Commission, United Nations, EuroSDR and European Location Framework (ELF) Project as well as EuroGeographics' members and Management Board.

Discussions focused on unlocking the power of geospatial information from official sources through future European location services. Delegates also explored how future technologies, such as satellite positioning and radio navigation, can be used by national mapping, cadastre and land registry authorities to contribute to the wider public good.

EuroGeographics President, Mrs Ingrid Vanden Berghe said: “Our members are committed to maximising the benefits of their map and land information. They are doing this by developing future European Location Services, a fundamental resource for Europe that will meet the high expectations of users and contribute to social development, economic growth and environmental sustainability.”

“We were delighted to join our colleagues in Hungary to further our commitment to enabling government, business and citizens to benefit from our collective expertise, products and services.”

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For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350(mobile) or email press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics
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, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities. It currently brings together 61 members from 46 countries.

To find out more about EuroGeographics, please visit eurogeographics.org.

Rapid access to authoritative maps for emergency services agreed at international conference

Emergency services responding to disasters will continue to benefit from fast access to authoritative maps from official sources following a renewed agreement between EuroGeographics and the European Environment Agency (EEA).

The agreement, first signed in 2011, enables the Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service to quickly produce maps for crisis management using geospatial data from EuroGeographics’ members, the European National Mapping, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities (NMCAS). It was signed today (3 October) during EuroGeographics 2016 General Assembly in Budapest, Hungary which was attended by leaders from 51 NMCAS.

“Confidence in the accuracy and quality of geospatial data is vital for providing a common operational picture for crisis management,” said Mrs Ingrid Vanden Berghe, President of EuroGeographics.

“Our members fulfill a unique role by creating, managing and maintaining official sources of definitive and detailed map and land information. Many already provide advice and support to their national governments regarding mapping for emergencies. They are delighted that their data will continue to be at the heart of the Copernicus Emergency Mapping service which benefits people right across Europe.”

Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director, EEA said: “When working in the aftermath of crises such as floods, storms, earthquakes or industrial accidents, emergency response teams need rapid access to the most up-to-date geospatial data.”

“This agreement is extremely important as it brings together authoritative information from official sources to quickly produce emergency response maps. Civil protection agencies, national and local emergency services, humanitarian aid organisations and European Union bodies will all benefit from the renewal of this agreement with EuroGeographics’ members.”

The Copernicus Emergency Mapping Service can be activated on any day and produces mapping products to support the different phases of emergency response inside and outside Europe.

It is provided free of charge in rapid mode for emergency management activities, which require immediate response, and risk and recovery mode, supporting emergency management activities. The service is activated by authorised users including national authorities in the EU countries or EU bodies responsible for the coordination of emergency management activities in the respective country.

For more information, visit http://copernicus.eu.

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For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350(mobile) or email press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics
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, Cadastre and Land Registry Authorities. It currently brings together 61 members from 46 countries.

To find out more about EuroGeographics, please visit eurogeographics.org.

Icelandic organisations pledge to provide data for gateway to pan-European maps and land information

Iceland has committed to contribute data to a gateway to pan-European maps, geographic and land information from official sources.

Following agreements with EuroGeographics, National Land Survey Iceland and Registers Iceland will provide a range of information, including topographic and cadastral data, administrative units, addresses, geographical names, land cover and transport networks to the European Location Framework.

They are among 24 National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities (NMCAs) that have already pledged to provide geospatial content for this single source of definitive, detailed and quality-assured data. In the future, users will also be able to license the information from different agencies and different countries from this single access point.

EuroGeographics is a not-for-profit organisation representing the European NMCAs and together with a number of its members is contributing to the European Location Framework Project. Upon completion of the development phase in October 2016, the Project Consortium, which also includes software developers, application providers, research companies and academia, will continue to provide their services under the ownership of EuroGeographics.

Mick Cory, Secretary General and Executive Director, EuroGeographics said: “Our members fulfill a unique role by providing definitive, detailed geographic and land information. We are committed to supporting them as they improve access to this rich source of data.”

“The Project has developed a solid foundation on which to build future European location services delivering the most up to date information available from official national sources. As custodian of this powerful source of geospatial information, we’re looking forward to working with members to secure its long-term future by ensuring that it will meet market need for authoritative reference data.”

“Content is key and our long-term aim is to offer full European coverage so we are delighted to sign this data agreement with National Land Survey Iceland and Registers Iceland.”

Magnus Gudmundsson, General Director, National Land Survey, Iceland commented: “The European Location Framework is a true international collaborative effort which demonstrates how NMCAs contribute to the wider public good.”

“It will ensure that our data is used across Europe by those who rely on NMCA information for high-level decision making and policy development, as well as users who need data to industry-recognised specifications that enable the easy transfer of applications between countries.”

Margret Hauksdottir, Director General, Registers Iceland added: “We are delighted to be contributing to the European Location Framework. It complements our national activities and will meet user needs whilst reducing costs, creating new business opportunities and increasing the reuse of public sector information.”

For more information on the European Location Framework Project, visit www.elfproject.eu. More information about EuroGeographics and its members can be found at eurogeographics.org

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For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350(mobile) or email: press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics
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, Land Registry and Cadastral Authorities. It currently brings together 61 members from 46 countries.

The European Location Framework Project
The European Location Framework Project, which started in March 2013, is co-funded by the EC’s Competitiveness & Innovation framework Programme (CIP) Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP). The Consortium comprises mapping and cadastral authorities, application developers, SMEs, universities, EuroGeographics and the Open Geospatial Consortium.

Survey reveals benefits of integrating land information

Information about land use and ownership restrictions is easier to find and use when combined with national cadastres, a survey by EuroGeographics has shown.

The Association, which represents national mapping, cadastral and land registry authorities from the whole of geographical Europe, asked its members if public-law restrictions were documented and if they could be overlaid with their land ownership records.

The results showed that 22 countries – out of 25 countries replying to the survey – not only documented public-law restrictions, but also integrated them in their cadastral systems. Of these, 16 provided open access to the data via an online service with buyers, sellers, planners, architects, public authorities and financial organisations among the users benefitting from this single source of land information. A further four respondents said the information was available to the parties involved in the registration process.

“In most countries, people who own land cannot simply use it as they wish, but must comply with specific regulations,” says Dr Daniel Steudler, Chair of EuroGeographics Cadastre and Land Registry Knowledge Exchange Network which conducted the research.

“These public-law restrictions are often enforced by different agencies and, in the past, this has meant collecting all the relevant information from each separate organisation – a complex and time-consuming process.”

“By integrating the data and making it quickly and easily available through a single point of contact, our members are helping to increase market transparency and efficiency as well as the degree of legal certainty in the real estate sector.”

The survey also found:

• The top five public-law restrictions cited by members were environmental protection, groundwater protection, land use zones, protection orders for areas of cultural importance and public infrastructure corridors, for example utility networks.
• 10 countries reported more than 10 national public-law restrictions with five having 50 or more.
• Sweden was the first respondent to fully integrate its public-law restrictions into its cadastre with full coverage achieved in 1995.

EuroGeographics’ Knowledge Exchange Networks provide an open forum for members and invited experts. Each focuses on an area of particular interest for national mapping, cadastral and land registry authorities.

More than half of EuroGeographics’ members focus on property rights and registration. Changing technology means that Cadastre is becoming ever more dynamic as a result of crowd sourcing and real-time reporting. The Cadastre and Land Registry Knowledge Exchange Network provides a valuable forum for sharing best practice as well as reflecting these emerging trends.

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For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350(mobile) or email press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics

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, Land Registry and Cadastral Authorities. It currently brings together 60 members from 46 countries.

To find out more about EuroGeographics, please visit eurogeographics.org.

Gateway to Maps for Europe takes centre stage at European Commission

National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities have demonstrated how their maps and land information can help the European Commission to achieve the EU’s priorities.

The two-week Maps for Europe event in Brussels focused on the use of geospatial data to better understand information related to people and places. It was organised by EuroGeographics, the membership association for European National Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registry Authorities in collaboration with Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, under the patronage of European Commissioner Marianne Thyssen.

Speaking at the opening reception, Walter Radermacher, Director General of Eurostat emphasised the importance of integrating statistics with geospatial information.

“The goal of the European Location Framework is to deliver authoritative, interoperable, cross-border data to benefit both the public and private sectors,” he said.

“It builds upon the success of the INSPIRE Directive and will clearly have a positive impact upon policymaking within the Commission.”

Catherine Stihler MEP added: “I am delighted to see for myself how this “gateway to maps” can work for Europe. Maps provide context and clarity, and contribute to the successful delivery of many European policies. Confidence that the information provided is consistent and comparable, regardless of its national source, is key.”

Ingrid Vanden Berghe, President of EuroGeographics said: “From protecting against flooding or other natural hazards to intelligent transport and economic growth, many European initiatives need up-to-date, harmonized geospatial information.”

“The Commission already has access to European maps from our members through our agreement with Eurostat. In the future, we hope to expand the availability of authoritative maps, geographic and land information through the European Location Framework. This will contribute to a number of European initiatives, including the Digital Single Market, INSPIRE and Copernicus, and will encourage the reuse of public sector information and e-government.”

“The European Location Framework is not an island; it is a building block within a European framework supporting the legal base provided by the INSPIRE Directive and the strategic vision for a European Location Strategy. It complements the national activities of our members and is aligned to their future, enabling them to meet the needs of existing data users as well as those of the next generation.”

The Maps for Europe event was held from 16 to 27 November in the Berlaymont, the European Commission’s Headquarters.

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For further information please contact Rhian French on +44 1264 300126, +447892 698 350(mobile) or email: press@eurogeographics.org.

Notes to Editors

EuroGeographics – Connecting you to the authoritative geo-information framework for Europe

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, Land Registry and Cadastral Authorities. It brings together 60 members from 46 countries.

To find out more about EuroGeographics, please visit eurogeographics.org 

To see our members’ geographical information in action, please visit our showcase at www.youtube.com/eurogeographics

EuroGeographics signs contract to provide geospatial information to EuroStat