1. WG standards for data access/exchange
Annoni, Wirthman, Vanderhaegen, Avillez, Thomas, Milego

2. Topics addressed Collection Reporting Documentation (metadata)
Reference systems
Exchange
Access

3. Background
A final European GIS will most probably be based on a combination of compatible national systems and the proposed European system, which may be shared between Member States, the Commission and the European Environment Agency.
Ideally this system should allow for a multi-scale approach, being able to provide more generalised (aggregated) information at the European level and detailed information at the level of the Member States, river basins and sub-basins.
Most probably this implies individual systems, which have compatible data structures.

4. Data collection
The way data is collected and its quality and coverage will vary from organisation to organisation and it will have been created from a variety of source scales and base mapping data sets.
It is not assumed that the data sets that organisations already capture for their own requirements will be re-captured for the purposes of this project or to meet a common data standard.
To ensure that users are fully aware of the content and source of each data set and are able to use it appropriately, and know which organisation to contact for any further guidance, it is recommended that all data sets are documented using a standard agreed format (to be defined by this wg).
In the long term it is recommended to harmonise the quality of data collection

5. Data reporting Generalisation Direct digitization Quality assessment
If the data are generalised from more precise data the generalisation process should be documented
Including a sample of the original and derived data for certification
Direct digitization
If the data are directly digitized at a scale close to the reporting scale, the standard cartographic accuracy should be guaranteed
Used map should be documented
Quality assessment
A quality ensure plan (QAP) should produced by Member States. The content of the QAP should be agreed upon. Th QA should be proved by documenting the results in the metadata.
QA is responsibility of MS
European harmonisation (seamless data)
The proposed generalisation process should be approved by ???
Members States data should be harmonised by ???

6. Data documentation
It is strongly recommended that full information about the original data be provided in a standard metadata format
It is mandatory to document all data required to report
ISO metadata should be adopted
Core fields are not sufficient
A specific profile should be developped in collaboration with INSPIRE and COGI
XML should be used to transfer metadata
Metadata should in native language
for shared data Bilingual metadata using English language (as second language) is recommended
To support automatic translation services a Thesaurus and a Data Dictionnary should be developed by thematic experts

7. Reference systems Coordinates should be provided in geographic
Coordinate reference system: ETRS89

8. Data exchange
The Geography Markup Language (GML) is an XML encoding for the transport and storage of geographic information, including both the spatial and non-spatial properties of geographic features.
Provide an open, vendor-neutral framework for the definition of geospatial application schemas and objects;
Support the storage and transport of application schemas and data sets;
A common data structure for data reporting should be agreed
this is responsibility of the data model task
It is recommended that MS send data in GML format according to the agreed data structure
In the short term the shapefile format will also be accepted

9. Data access Topic to be addressed Proposed approach
Users of a shared GIS
Reporting (In alternative to data exchange)
Others (To be coordinated by DG ENV)
Discovery
Catalog services
Use
Display & Query
Web based approach (OGC ?, W3C, ...)
Ad hoc development for a Application server
Restrictions
Copyright, IPR, Confidentiality
State of the data + mechanism to ensure the legal status !
Proposed approach
Identify data needed
Set up use cases
Postpone choices about technology to be used (standards and interoperability are on progress)