Spatially enablement of NRM communities through spatial knowledge and information network development

Abstract

A spatially enabled society (SES) is an emerging concept to make spatial information accessible and available for the benefit of society. It is a concept where location, place and other spatial information are available to government, community and citizens. This is an important extension to the generational development and progression of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) as it seeks to contribute to wider societal benefits and sustainable development objectives. This research paper investigates the social dimension of SDI and the theoretical foundation for spatially enablement of catchment communities. Two social science theories, namely, actor network theory (ANT) and social network theory are utilized to better understand the relationships in spatial information sharing and knowledge sharing across catchments. A network perspective of SDI was explored through a case study of the Queensland Knowledge and Information Network (KIN) project. Spatial information sharing processes among regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) bodies were analyzed using an object oriented modelling technique to assess the impact on catchment management outcomes. The relationships among the knowledge network stakeholders and the influence of these relationships to spatial information and knowledge sharing was analyzed using social network analysis. The findings from this study suggest that a network perspective of SDI assists in understanding the spatial information management issues of catchment management and the broader goal of spatially enablement of society.