Distributed territorial data management and exchange for public organizations

The development of information systems based on territorial data (e.g. land planning, geo-marketing, vehicle management, traffic guidance, etc.) is usually highly complex and expensive. A large part of the cost is due to the fact that the real value of geographical data for a given application purpose is highly dependent on the match between the data quality characteristics and the application target. On the other hand, high availability and easy exchange of territorial data relative to a given region are fundamental ingredients to support economic development in many service sectors that are increasingly based on IT systems. Hence, a critical issue for any public administration in its role as a policy-making organization is the definition of a techno-organizational infrastructure ensuring, at the same time, cooperation and competition in this critical market. In this paper, we describe fundamental ideas underlying a possible approach to deal with such an issue. The lines discussed have been implemented and tested in a system prototype developed in Italy, whose realization was promoted by the Italian Authority for Informatics in Public Administration (AIPA)