This document discusses barriers faced and opportunities identified during the implementation of the Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) using INSPIRE specifications. The main barriers were organizational issues within the consortium and with the client, technical challenges due to misaligned data standards, and financial issues related to the low-price contract. These barriers were reframed as challenges and addressed by increasing knowledge and communication through additional training and support. Turning the challenges into opportunities increased technical competencies, competitiveness, and new market opportunities.

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Leveraging SMEs’ strengths for
INSPIRE
Dialogue session at Geospatial World
Forum, Rotterdam (NL)
16.05.2013
SEIS & INSPIRE IN ACTION
Giacomo Martirano (Epsilon Italia)
g.martirano@epsilon-italia.it

2. 2/14
SUMMARY
 Who we are and what we are doing (in brief)
 Tips to stimulate the dialogue session debate
˗ The main barriers we identified
˗ Barriers seen as challenges
˗ Turning challenges into opportunities

3. 3/14Who we are (in brief)
 We are a small enterprise specialized in geospatial
technologies
 We are based in South Italy
 We are deeply involved in EU co-funded projects
dealing with geospatial information in general and
with INSPIRE implementations in particular

4. 4/14What we are doing (in brief)
 We are implementing SEIS using INSPIRE
˗ We are involved in the execution of a contract for the
implementation at national level of SEIS (Shared
Environmental Information System) for 5 themes: Air,
Water, Soil, Noise and Radiation.
˗ We are responsible for the design of the SEIS theme-
specific geodatabases
˗ We are focusing on INSPIRE EF DS (and on O&M), so
more on the data “production” side of the data chain

5. 5/14The main barriers we identified
 Organizational barriers (within the consortium and
with the Client)
 Technical barriers
 Financial barriers

6. 6/14The main barriers we identified
 Organizational barriers within the consortium:
˗ Misalignment of technical competencies between
partners responsible for the development and further
integration of project components strictly correlated.
˗ Lack of coordination, both at technical and
management level

7. 7/14The main barriers we identified
 Organizational barriers with the Client:
˗ Misalignment of technical competencies between the
Client and the Supplier.
˗ Heterogeinity of the organizational structures of the
Client’s departments/agencies responsible for the
management of the relevant geospatial information

8. 8/14The main barriers we identified
 Technical barriers:
˗ Misalignment between the national reporting
obligations set by EEA and the INSPIRE obligations set
by the Implementing Rules on the interoperability of
spatial datasets.
˗ Complexity of data modelling activities needed to
merge the many applicable schemas into one single
geodatabase structure for each SEIS theme

9. 9/14The main barriers we identified
 Financial barriers:
˗ Competitive tender won offering a price much lower
than the reference one (- 38 %)
˗ Unfavourable payment clauses (30% advance
payment after the contract signature) and 70%
balance payment at the end of a 24 months project
after final acceptance of all deliverables)

10. 10/14Barriers seen as challenges
 Investing in filling-in knowledge gaps:
˗ increasing manpower allocation (in terms of 50% FTE)
in order to deepen the technical and technological
aspects
˗ self-training (thorough analysis of INSPIRE DS and
practice with the data transformation tools and the
data harmonisation workflows)

11. 11/14Barriers seen as challenges
 Investing in filling-in communication gaps:
˗ spending more effort in supporting less aware
partners and also the Client
 Investing in filling-in cash-flow gaps:
˗ getting from the bank an increased credit limit

12. 12/14Turning challenges into opportunities
 The increased technical competencies:
˗ increased our competitiveness
˗ increased our productivity
˗ created new market opportunities

13. 13/14Conclusions
 Not a sales pitch but rather a networking invitation
…

14. 14/14Conclusions
 If this is the business model we are aming at …
 … then join us at www.smespire.eu