GIS in a Knowledge Domain: Bringing GIS to operational integration in Spatial Planning

Public and private organizations throughout Europe have recognized that spatial data has become an integral part of their knowledge base. The demand for GIS interoperability and advanced methods of classifying GIS data through metadata initiatives are a result of this recognition. Despite considerable advances major, difficulties are apparent in the formalizations of semantics, language and ontology of current efforts. This paper examines these issues from the perspective of the use of GIS in Spatial Planning. It is suggested that the integration of; and access to; spatial data in a public context goes further than codification and formulisation of data but rather must address fundamental knowledge management issues within the organizations. Using examples from the EUROGISE project and other case studies that use GIS in Spatial Planning the argument is made that public organizations need to develop techniques that enable measurement of value of their GI.