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Diffusion of regional spatial data infrastructures: with particular reference to Asia and the Pacific

The development of a Regional Spatial Data Infrastructure (Regional SDI) is much more challenging than the development of a National SDI initiative within a nation. This is mainly because of the voluntary nature of cooperation at a multi-national level and participation in a Regional SDI initiative. As a result, despite considerable interest and activities, the development of an effective and comprehensive Asia-Pacific Regional Spatial Data Infrastructure (APSDI) is hampered by a lack of support from member nations which results in this initiative remaining only an innovative concept. Based on this situation, the aim of this research is to design an improved conceptual model for Regional SDI and an implementation strategy. It is proposed that this problem can be partly addressed by increasing the level of awareness about the nature and value of SDIs; improving the SDI conceptual model to better meet the needs of nations; and by identifying key factors that facilitate development by better understanding the complexity of the interaction between social, economic and political issues. To achieve this aim, the research strategy is designed in such a way to meet the objectives and the hypothesis of the research, namely ‘the involvement of member nations in a Regional SDI can be improved by increasing awareness, identifying user needs and by developing a new conceptual model of the Regional SDI’. With this in mind, the concept and nature of SDIs is discussed in detail in order to facilitate their development and progressive uptake and utilisation by different jurisdictions. The research then sets the scene, providing the political and historical context of Asia and the Pacific region and regional activities, and discusses the concept and nature of Regional SDIs with an emphasis on current Regional SDI initiative in Asia and the Pacific region. It is argued that although the Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP), the coordinating committee of the APSDI, has moved some way toward the development of the APSDI, there are other issues which need to be discussed and resolved before moving forward. These issues are the low rate of participation in PCGIAP activities, the organisational structure of PCGIAP and the APSDI conceptual model.