EuroGeographics represents national mapping and land registry authorities across Europe. It works to increase accessibility of members' geospatial data through initiatives like INSPIRE and the European Location Framework. In comments on amending the PSI Directive, EuroGeographics supports the goal of increasing open data but cautions that changes could undermine data sustainability and public finances if certain areas like charging and machine readability are not improved. EuroGeographics' members have diverse responsibilities and approaches, so the goal is to work openly with users while maintaining exemplary practices for reuse of geospatial data.

1. EuroGeographics: Maximizing Benefits to EU
Society Through a Sustainable PSI Framework
PSI Alliance Conference 2012
Dave Lovell, EuroGeographics Secretary General and Executive Director

2. About EuroGeographics and our Members
Connecting you to the definitive geo-information
framework for Europe
• International non-profit association based in Brussels;
• Membership association and representative body of Europe's
national mapping, land registry and cadastral authorities;
• 56 Members from 45 countries in geographical Europe;
• Members at forefront of making available quality information
to industry, government & civil society for a variety of uses;
• Vision: to achieve interoperability of our Members’ national
geo-information to provide Europe with a digital asset that
supports Europe 2020 and Europe’s goal to become the
most competitive and sustainable economy in the world

3. Accessibility and what we are doing
Supporting EU initiatives, policy and legislation
• With our Members and through projects, such as ESDIN,
working proactively to operationalize the INSPIRE Directive
• With the European Environment Agency putting in place the
GMES Emergency Management Service;
• In our Knowledge Exchange Networks working on best
practice towards technical & licensing interoperability and
constructive participation in European policy development.
Supporting government business and personal decisions
• With the European Location Framework - a technical
infrastructure which delivers authoritative, interoperable,
cross-border geospatial reference data for analysing and
understanding information connected to places and features

4. Amending the PSI Directive
The amending proposal aims to move the Directive forward into
the era of the Digital Agenda. EuroGeographics and our
Members, as providers of quality digital content, support this
direction.
To deliver workable outcomes, and to make best use of the this
revision opportunity, we believe 4 areas would benefit from
improvement:
1. The General Principle could have unintended consequences for the
sustainable supply of information and its ongoing maintenance;
2. The rules on charging should continue to allow all information holders to
continue to make their information available for reuse while managing
negative impact on public finances;
3. The requirement for data to be provided in machine-readable formats
should not inadvertently restrict customer choice;
4. The proposal for an independent authority should respect Member
States’ data policies and national access regimes.

5. Meeting user needs
• Our Members have multiple duties e.g. to EU, civil society,
government and business;
• Our Members have a good track record of making
information accessible and available to all users;
• Our strength is our diversity; different Members from different
countries have different ways, within the parameters of
applicable law, of doing things.;
• Our aim is to work openly with users to meet their needs the
best way we can;
• We maintain and develop our geo-information community of
members as an exemplar on reuse, building on our track
record of making geo-information accessible and available;
• For cultural, economic, societal and democratic reasons:
‘one size does not fit all’.

6. EuroGeographics working with members and
working with others ….
because together we are stronger
Thank you!

7. www.eurogeographics.org
Connecting you to the definitive geo-information framework
for Europe