Is our institution an NSDI subject?
“…public authorities who in their scope, ie their jurisdiction, have the establishment or maintenance of spatial data referred to in Article 9, paragraph 1, of this Act and which in terms of this Act are obliged to participate in the establishment, maintenance and development of the NSDI.”
Public authorities include state authorities, bodies of local and regional self-government units and legal entities with public authority.
The NSDI Act also provides the possibility of the inclusion of the third parties in the NSDI under certain conditions: “A third party may become a subject of the NSDI if it meets the conditions set out in the NSDI Act after the NSDI Council has made an appropriate decision on this according to the proposal of the National Contact Point.”
In accordance with the above, if your institution creates spatial data on the basis of a special law, then we consider it a NSDI subject.
Example: Pursuant to the Law on State Survey and Real Estate Cadastre, the State Geodetic Administration (SGA) is responsible for state surveying, real estate cadaster, infrastructure cadastre, register of buildings, register of spatial units and register of geographical names. Within these stated competencies, spatial data that are part of the NSDI are created, so the SGA is a NSDI subject.
What are the obligations of the NSDI subjects?
Obligations of the NSDI subjects according to the NSDI Act are defined by the Article 25, which prescribes the following::
In the case of datasets or dataset series, the next step is the data harmonization, and if network services are not developed, their development is mandatory in accordance with the NDI Act (OG 56/13, 52/18, 50/20).
- NSDI subjects are obliged to:
- prepare data and metadata and include them in the NSDI,
- take care of updating them,
- prepare information and communication systems for spatial data and include them in the NSDI,
- meet all other obligations arising from this Act.
- The head of the NSDI subject is responsible for fulfilling the obligations referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.
In the case of datasets or dataset series, the next step is the data harmonization, and if network services are not developed, their development is mandatory in accordance with the NDI Act (OG 56/13, 52/18, 50/20).
What are the benefits of the NSDI?
There are many benefits of joining the NSDI, and some of the most important are saving resources and time which directly results in money saving. The most basic example is the use of spatial data sources of other institutions, thus avoiding their redundancy. Partnerships and cooperation between public authorities are increasing, as well as the transparency of their work. A particularly important segment is the development of new products enabled through the sharing, availability and combination of spatial data. You can find more about the NSDI in our brochure “Spatial Data and NSDI for connected Croatia”.
Although the benefits of the NSDI establishment in the first step are mostly realized by public authorities, this impact is directly transferred to the private sector. Especially the following features stand out such as:
However, it is important to emphasize that inclusion in the NSDI is not an option but a legal obligation for all public authorities of the Republic of Croatia that have spatial data in their jurisdiction in accordance with Article 5 of the NSDI Act.
Although the benefits of the NSDI establishment in the first step are mostly realized by public authorities, this impact is directly transferred to the private sector. Especially the following features stand out such as:
- availability of requested spatial data in real time, regardless of the working hours of institutions
- saving time searching for spatial data that fit the desired purpose through a publicly available Metadata Catalog
- there is no need for saving or checking if spatial data are up-to-date because they are served through network services, and the competent institution is responsible for their maintenance
- the possibility of simultaneous use of spatial data of various institutions to create a broader picture or third products
- through savings in the resources of public authorities, primarily money, the real sector remains more for other investments
- the establishment of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure provides a basis for future upgrades, thus avoiding the re-collection of the same data
However, it is important to emphasize that inclusion in the NSDI is not an option but a legal obligation for all public authorities of the Republic of Croatia that have spatial data in their jurisdiction in accordance with Article 5 of the NSDI Act.
To what sources of spatial data does the NSDI Act refer to?
The NSDI Act in accordance with Art. 6. applies to spatial data sources under the condition that:
- they refer to the territory of the Republic of Croatia, internal sea waters, territorial sea, continental shelf and its ecological protection or economic areas and other areas over which the Republic of Croatia exercises sovereign rights,
- they are in electronic form,
- they are within the jurisdiction or scope of NSDI subjects,
- they refer to one or more themes from Article 9, Paragraph 1 of this Act,
- they do not refer to classified spatial data.
A list of all themes along with their descriptions is available via the link.
What is the role of the National Contact Point?
The National Contact Point is responsible for communication with the bodies of the European Commission regarding the implementation of the INSPIRE Directive, for the effective implementation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure and performs the tasks of secretariat and coordination of the NSDI bodies, as well as technical support for the establishment, maintenance and development of the NSDI. In addition, it is important to note that the President of the NSDI Council, the body that establishes the NSDI in the Republic of Croatia and coordinates the activities of NSDI subjects within the scope and rights and obligations established by the NSDI Act, is appointed from the National Contact Point.
In the Republic of Croatia, the State Geodetic Administration is the National Contact Point of the NSDI in the implementation of the INSPIRE Directive pursuant to the NSDI Act. You can read more about the National Contact Point in the NSDI Act, Articles 1, 2, 7, 10, 11, 18, 19, 25, 26, 29 and 31 (OG 56/13, 52/18, 50/20).
In the Republic of Croatia, the State Geodetic Administration is the National Contact Point of the NSDI in the implementation of the INSPIRE Directive pursuant to the NSDI Act. You can read more about the National Contact Point in the NSDI Act, Articles 1, 2, 7, 10, 11, 18, 19, 25, 26, 29 and 31 (OG 56/13, 52/18, 50/20).