INfrastructure for SPatial Information (INSPIRE) is Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and the EU Council from March 14, 2007, regarding spatial data and supporting the creation of policy relating to the environment. The INSPIRE Directive entered into force on May 15, 2007. INSPIRE constitutes a future framework for NSDI’s within EU Member States.
For this reason, INSPIRE guidelines can be considered mandatory for all future activities of NSDI. INSPIRE is a framework Directive. More detailed technical instructions are defined by implementation rules and technical guidelines. INSPIRE is based on existing spatial data infrastructures of the Member States and demands no new gathering of data, but it does demand harmonization of existing data.
Main principles of the INSPIRE directive:
- Spatial data is stored, available and maintained at the most appropriate level,
- Enable consistent combining of spatial data from various sources throughout the European Union and their joint use between different users and applications,
- Spatial data gathered at one level of the government is shared with other government bodies,
- Spatial data must be available under conditions with do not limit their broader use without reason,
- Enable easy detection of available spatial data, evaluate their suitability for obtaining a goal and find out the conditions applicable to their use.
Main components of the INSPIRE directive:
- metadata,
- interoperability of spatial data and services,
- services (discovery, viewing, downloading, transformation and invoke),
- joint use of spatial data and services,
- coordination and supervision and reporting measures.
Data included in the INSPIRE directive:
- 34 themes of spatial data arranged into three annexes (Annex I, II and III), necessary for a successful construction of an environmental information system,
- Spatial data owned by government bodies or by other institutions for government bodies and spatial data used by government bodies for the completion of their public duties.
For more information on the INSPIRE directive, go to https://inspire.ec.europa.eu/
INSPIRE geoportal
In order to assist with the integration of national infrastructures into INSPIRE, Member States need to provide access to their infrastructures through the EU geoportal (INSPIRE geoportal), managed by the European Commission, as well as through other access points which Member States decide to manage.
For more information on the INSPIRE geoportal, go to http://www.INSPIRE-geoportal.eu/
Importance of the INSPIRE directive for the construction of a Croatian NSDI
The INSPIRE directive is a part of a National Programme for the Integration of the Republic of Croatia into the European Union. In accordance with this program, the INSPIRE directive will be transferred into the Croatian legislature by the time the Republic of Croatia joins the EU. Further implementation will be in accordance with the INSPIRE development plan.