1. The European Location Framework: taking INSPIRE to the next level
European Forum for Geography and Statistics
2015 Conference 
10/11/2015

2. Programme Introduction: what is ELF? Technical achievements
Data specification
Data transformation
Cascading services
Basic applications
ELF GeoLocator
ELF BaseMap
ELF Cadastre
Business applications
ELF ambitions

3. Introduction

4. What is ELF? ELF is a European project From March 2013 to October 2016
Around 30 partners
NMCAs and EuroGeographics
Technology providers
Universities
Application developers
…..
Co-funded by European Commission and the consortium partners
Main objective: single access point to harmonised data and services from NMCAs
ELF partners
(data providers)

5. ELF Building Site INSPIRE INSPIRE
What is ELF?
ELF Building Site
Basemap
Cascading Services
ELF Oskari
ArcGIS Online
GeoLocator
WP3
WP2
WP4
WP5
WP6
WP7
WP8
WP9
ELF Master
ELF Global
ELF Regional
250 builders
13 million euros
14 countries
INSPIRE
INSPIRE
Technology providers: Snowflake, ESRI, ii instrument, 1Spatial, ….

6. The ELF objectives Supply harmonised, INSPIRE-based data on Europe
Implementation phase
(2013 – 2015)
Supply harmonised, INSPIRE-based data on Europe
Supply view, download, geocoding services on this data
Supply an infrastructure enabling easy access to ELF data and data services d’ELF
Oskari
Arc GIS on line
Develop applications using the ELF platform
Exploitation phase
( )

7. Technical achievements

8. Data specification ELF data specifications are INSPIRE based
What is the added value of ELF specification compared to INSPIRE ones?
Extensions
Keep the additional information of EBM/ ERM/EGM
Clarification about levels of detail
ELF

9. Data specification: levels of detail (LoD)
INSPIRE approach :
The directive requires consistency between LoD
Data model is the same for all LoDs
Information about LoD is given by metadata element: MD_Resolution 2K
20K
25K 1M
10K 5K
50K
100K
250K
1 K
200 K
2,5 K
Not easy for users to identify which data sets may be combined together

10. Data specification: levels of detail
ELF approach: 5 levels of detail 2K
20K
2,5K
1 K
10K
50K
250K 1M 5K
25K
Master level 0
To 5K
Master level 1 5K – 25K
Master level 2
25K- 100K
Regional level 100K -500K
Global level 0
500K- 1M

11. Data specification: levels of detail
Some themes are relevant only for some levels of detail
Theme
MASTER LoD0
Master LoD1/2
REGIONAL
GLOBAL
Cadastral Parcels (CP) x
Addresses (AD)
Buildings (BU)
Administrative Units (AU)
Geographical Names (GN)
Transport Networks (TN)
Hydrography (HY)
Land Cover (LC)
Elevation (EL)

12. Data transformation First step in ELF project
Transform data from (heterogeneous) national data specifications to the common ELF data specifications
Common data model
Common Coordinate Reference System(s)
Transformation method is up to each NMCA
Possible help from technology providers
Benefit for users: ELF pushes NMCAs to provide INSPIRE-based data before the official deadline

13. Single access point (download)
The scenario to be avoided
NMCA
National WFS
request
NMCA
National WFS
answer
NMCA
National WFS
A user wanting data on several countries should not be obliged to access several services.

14. Single access point (download)
The ELF scenario
NMCA
National WFS
Cascaded Service (WFS)
request
NMCA
National WFS
answer
NMCA
National WFS
The user is offered a single access point through the cascaded service.

15. Single access point (download)
Database of international boundaries
Step1: identify the countries concerned by the request
Cascaded service: distribute request
Cascaded Service
(WFS)
NMCA
National WFS
Step 2: distribute the request to the concerned national WFS
National WFS
NMCA
Request (feature type, bounding box)
National WFS
NMCA
(X1, Y1)
(X4, Y4)
National WFS
NMCA
(X2, Y2)
(X3, Y3)
National WFS
NMCA

16. Single access point (download)
Cascaded service: aggregate answers
Step 1 : each national WFS provides data set according to the request
NMCA
National WFS
National WFS
NMCA
Cascaded Service
National WFS
NMCA
Step 2 :the cascaded service aggregates the national answers in one single feature collection
National WFS
NMCA
National WFS
NMCA

17. Set of centralised data sets
GeoLocator
Request (indirect location)
The indirect location may be a geographical name, an administrative unit, an address or a parcel code.
Direct geocoding
GeoLocator
Answer (direct location)
The direct location will be a point defined by its coordinates (X1, Y1). GN AU AD CP
Set of centralised data sets

18. GeoLocator GeoLocator offers: Using data from: Direct geocoding
Reverse geocoding
Using data from:
Previous project EGN (EuroGeoNames)
To be replaced by INSPIRE data on themes Address, Administrative Units, GeographicalNames and CadastralParcels

19. Topographic BaseMap
BaseMap is a pyramid of digital maps displaying ELF based data, at different levels of zoom
Content : themes EL, AU, BU, LC, HY, TN and GN
Zoom levels from 2K (street names) to 40M (whole Europe)
Available as WMTS
To be used for consultation or as background map

20. Portrayal rules: theme Transport (Road)
Topographic BaseMap
Portrayal rules: theme Transport (Road)
Example in urban area, with street names (4,5K)

21. Administrative BaseMap
Based on EBM data
From 40M to 170K
WMS service

22. view search identify ELF Cadastre Involved themes:
WMS of data providers managed by cascade tools => vision of territory.
Involved themes:
Cadastral Parcels
Administrative Units
Addresses
Buildings
Search Services to locate Cadastral parcels by its identifier or by its address (by use of GeoLocator)
search
GetFeatureInfo to identify cadastral parcel and to obtain all the associated information from the national cadastral agencies.
identify

23. ELF Cadastre use cases Complement BaseMap
BaseMap : for LoD1 to Global (40 M to 2K)
ELF Cadastre : for LoD0 (10K to 1)
Users may combine in client applications the BaseMap with the layers of ELF Cadastre 12
By adding addresses
AB56
By adding cadastral parcels

24. A key attribute to make link with land registration system
ELF Cadastre use cases
Complement EULIS
ELF Cadastre : provide the geographic information
EULIS : provide the legal, fiscal information
Owners
First name
Last name
Birth date …
Jean
Martin
12/04/1980
EULIS
ELF
A key attribute to make link with land registration system

25. Application for Health Statistics CASPER
To link health statistics data to AU/SU
Eurostat health statistics data (> 300 available data tables).
Spatial framework data (EuroBoundaryMap)
Use the OGC table joining standard
Eurostat’s health statistics
(>300 tables)
CASPER
31 May, 2019

26. CASPER Client – a portrait of Europe health
Potential users:
Policy makers
Journalists
Academic researchers
Health officials
Health insurance providers
General public
31 May, 2019

27. Business Applications
The aim is to have at least 30 applications based on ELF services and data
4 applications in ELF (including CASPER)
=> find external application developers
ELF Awareness Tour
ELF Awards
31 May, 2019

28. ELF ambitions

29. ELF after the ELF project
European Location Framework is not just a project
Sustainable platform
that won’t stop on October 2016
Strong involvement of EuroGeographics
May be, a follow-up project ?

30. Get more data and services
European coverage on topographic and cadastral data themes
Welcome thematic data (e.g. statistics) : The European Location Framework for Geostatistics (Mick Cory) – 11/11/2015 morning
2013
2016
Objective