A regional collaborative network to improve spatial information sharing in Australia

Abstract

Good outcomes in Natural Resource Management (NRM) rely largely upon effective mechanism to access and share spatial information. The largest body of spatial information is located within state government organisations and the current spatial information access and sharing mechanisms are managed by these agencies. Though various initiatives have been initiated by governments for building Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), the access and use of spatial information for NRM sector is problematic. Regional NRM groups are also collecting a significant amount of spatial information and state agencies are also interested in gaining access to this spatial data/information. There is an urgent need to bridge between the state approach and regional activities in an innovative way. The aim of this paper is to explore the theoretical background for collaborative networks and examine the applicability of the regional collaborative network concept to improve spatial information sharing for informed decision making in NRM sector. Five spatial information sharing components are explored and based on those components, a comparison of the existing spatial information sharing approach and collaborative network approach has been presented. An overview of regional NRM bodies and information sharing in Australia has been discussed. A case study approach has been selected to apply the collaborative network approach for current NRM portal development. A comparative study of data hub projects in Queensland has been completed. This paper concludes that regional collaborative networks can facilitate the improvement.