Let’s click GIS into gear! Data is the fuel

Established in 1994, the Hungarian Association for Geo-information HUNAGI is a non-for-profit, non-governmental umbrella organisation with the mission goal to encourage and facilitate the availability, accessiblity, share and useability of geographic information according to the EU INSPIRE directive. To achieve the goals HUNAGI provides forums for industry stakeholders and relevant governmental entities and other learned societies to build partnership which can benefit fom use of geosptial data and related technologies. HUNAGI is registered as Spatial Data Interest Community at DG JRC of the European Commission.

This year at the 3rd HUNAGI Conference the theme Mobile GIS and Related Data Services was selected. In order to strengthen competiveness of the small and medium enterprises, the event was organised in conjuction with three external communities namely: Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS Hungary), Hungarian Association of Logistics, Purchasing and Inventory Management (HALPIM), Hungarian Space Industry Cluster (HUNSPACE). The escorting exhibition reflected trendy technological tools and solutions provided by (Autodesk, Varinex, HungaroCAD, Pitney Bowes, Esri Hungary), INSPIRE compliant, user-friendly services (FÖMI) and standards (GS1 Hungary) and introduced solutions provided for mobile environment GeoX, GPScom and InterMap Ltds).

In the opening session governmental civil servants and NGO officers taking part in strategy formulation and implementation of the chosen fields delivered introductory overviews and highlighted policy issues such as the legislation framework developent for ITS in Hungary in line with the European road map, the present stage and needs of the logistics community related to the reliable, timely and easily accessible spatial data, the governmental measures in provision and use of opensource and open governmental data again in line with the EU supported initiatives. Additional highly timely talk was given by the ex INSPIRE national contact on the recent coordination changes. Finally, the GIS-related developments were introduced in the context of the upgrade of the capital’s transportation system.

Further presentations gave in-depth view on the capabilities of promising mobile GI-based technologies in city logistics from data collection to cost-effective cloud-based services and from supply-chain traceabiities to city information management. The issue of data availability ad useability were addressed from were addressed both by the urban planners and core GI service providers.

Intelligent transportation systems (on-demand based, flexible and dynamic) can save energy, time and costs from citizens to enterpreneurs. The state of the art of ITS services in Hungary was discussed in light of the European trends. As invited speaker, editor of the International Coordinates Magazine made contribution on Mobile GIS: Road and Roadblocks”, while from Czechia a register on level crossings was developed as part of the integrated rescue system. Terrestrial laser scanners are effective tools for use in urban planning as it was clearly demonstrated by technical representative of a sophisticated scanner manufacturer Faro. Benefits and dangers – experiences gained by COWI Hungary have been shared based on evaluation of different ITS-related developments.

Based on a survey, among the student participants the Volunteered Geographic Information session was found as the most popular. The engagement of the citizens became evidence especially in the field of nature protection (Wilderness Watch program etc). The countrywide landscape Value Cadastre supports entries using mobile technologies as well. Environmental Democracy and VGI were the keywords of the speakers of Törökbálint .municipality and the ViaMap Ltd. Activist of the Hungarian OpenstreetMap delivered presentation as well.

The three thematic sessions were escorted by two complementary ones devoted to the data collection and services (incuding their share) as well as the GI-related technologies where all major solution providers (eg. VARINEX, Esri Hungary, DigiTerra, Geodézia Zrt, Compet-Terra, Intermap) made contributions. Smart phone applications were discussed in disaster management and spatial planning.

In the closing session the newly established UN OOSA SPIDER Regional Support Office hosted by Károly Róbert College in Gyöngyös were highlighted the 7th Framework Program project LAPSI on PSI-reuse was introduced. The participants received an in-depth overview on the Hungarian Space Strategy by representative of the Ministry of National Development, finally Prof. Bárczi, chair of the Space Industry Clusterhad a talk on their contribution to the Sentinel 2 flight segment.

About 180 participants were attracted including governmental officials (National Land Authority, Ministry of National Developments, Ministry of Public Administration and Justice, Central Statistical Office) market actors (innovators, developers, service providers, users), from NGOs, Universities and Colleges, representatives of local governments and different application domains. Having internal conference in Budapest hosted by HUNAGI, some experts of the EU project on ‘legal aspects of public sector information’ (LAPSI) attended the conference as well.

– Gabor Remetey, Secretary-general of HUNAGI, the Hungarian GI Association