Access and Use of Publicly Funded Geospatial Data in Latin America:
Current Status and Potential Benefits for Sustainable Development.
(Study Design)

Raed M. Sharif
The School of Information Studies- Syracuse University, USA


The importance of open access to publicly funded data, especially scientific data, for socio-economic development is being recognized and appreciated by an increasing number of countries and governments around the world, especially in the more economically developed countries. Developing countries as well are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of open access to these data for sustainable development. As a result, many have already started to adopt and implement different kinds of laws and policies to promote open access and freedom of information practices. Among the developing countries, Latin American (LA) countries present a good example of the different levels of appreciation, adoption and implementation of these lows and policies which makes this region a good and unique environment for further study. Furthermore, little is empirically known in LA countries about the actual implementation of these laws and policies, the actual production of and demand on publicly funded scientific data, and the extent to which access to these data or lack of it has affected scientific and socio-economic development.

Geospatial data are the dominant form of scientific data in terms of data volume. It is estimated that almost 80 percent of data that have been generated so far are geospatial data . Furthermore, these data, which cover both the natural environment such as ecology, geodesy, topography, hydrography, andmany human activities such as transportation, agriculture, and the constructed environment to name a few, are used by a very diverse group of users (e.g., industry, academic researchers, regulators and regulated entities, state and local environmental agencies, policy makers, and the general public) for a wide range of studies and applications. The introduction and development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) especially geographic information systems (GIS) has altered the way these huge amounts of data have been collected, manipulated and used. For example, before GIS, geospatial data were expressed and stored in a paper map. With the advent of GIS, most geospatial data are stored in digital format which makes them easier and cheaper to integrate and analyze, and consequently to exploit them much more efficiently and productively. This proposed study will focus on the geospatial data and its impact on socio-economic development, especially on poverty reduction efforts in LA countries. More specifically, the study will: (1) Identify the types and volumes of publicly funded geospatial data that are produced and maintained, (2) Describe the laws and policies that affect access to and use of those data, (3) Describe the current status of access to and use of those data, and characterize the uses and the users of such data, (4) Analyze the relationship between the level of access to publicly funded geospatial data and the socio-economic development in these countries, and (5) Prepare conclusions and recommendations based on the findings in connections with tasks 1-4.

The study is designed to be implemented in three phases over 24 months, and will use both quantitative and qualitative approaches to collect and analyze the data.

It's expected that the study will provide empirical evidence to the policy makers in LA countries about the importance of open and free access to publicly funded scientific data and its impact on socio-economic development. It's also expected that this study, being the first in kind in the developing countries, will have broader impact on science policy making activities in other developing countries. It would serve as a case study for other developing countries with similar conditions to learn about others success/ failure stories, lessons learned, and to build upon the recommendations of the study.



keywords: Geospatial data, Socio-economic development, Open acces.