FREE INSPIRE seminar and workshop - extended

1Spatial is pleased to announce that due to unprecedented demand, they have increased capacity for the FREE INSPIRE seminar and metadata workshop, a precursor event to the1Spatial Conference 2008.

Hosted by Robin Waters, Chair of the AGI Working Group for INSPIRE, the free seminar will provide a comprehensive introduction to INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe) and cover the potential business impact of INSPIRE on stakeholders. Rob Walker, Independent Consultant and 2008 Chair of AGI, who is also a Member of AGI Working Group on INSPIRE, will run a workshop highlighting the Implementing Rules for Metadata and how metadata issues can be addressed by organisations responsible for datasets that may be affected by INSPIRE.

The European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment & Sustainability, will be represented by Katalin Tóth from the Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) Unit at the INSPIRE event. The SDI Unit has a mission to coordinate the scientific and technical development of INSPIRE, support its implementation within the Commission and the Member States, evaluate its social and economic impacts, and lead the research effort to develop the next generation of spatial data infrastructures. With 30 staff members from 14 EU countries, the SDI Unit is the largest group in Europe dedicated to SDI research and implementation in support of relevant EU policies. Katalin will also be providing a keynote presentation relating to INSPIRE on 1st May at the 1Spatial Conference 2008.

With the INSPIRE Directive coming into force in May 2009, organisations should be preparing and planning for its implementation now, and this seminar will provide an invaluable introduction to the issues surrounding INSPIRE and Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs). Only a limited number of extra places are available for the INSPIRE workshop and seminar, so register now by visiting www.1spatial.com/conference/registration.php.

Further context and information on INSPIRE will be explored in greater depth through a number of activities during the 1Spatial Conference 2008, which will follow the FREE INSPIRE seminar and workshop, from 30th April to 1st May. Highlights include Dave Lovell and Antti Jakobsson from EuroGeographics, presenting keynote speeches in this area, Iain Greenway from Land and Property Services (LPS - formerly Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland), who will be discussing a practical implementation of an SDI in the form of the GeoHub NI project, and Dr Richard Sunderland from 1Spatial who will be examining security and access issues surrounding SDIs.

1Spatial has worked with ESRI and Fujitsu to deliver the GeoHub NI, in collaboration with LPS, as a great example of an SDI in action. 1Spatial is also involved in a number of activities around the World looking at spatial data integration and addressing supply chain management with major blue chip organisations, such as Transport for London and Tele Atlas. Both of these organisations will be presenting keynote speeches at the 1Spatial Conference 2008.

Based on our experience around the practical implementations with LPS and other customers, 1Spatial is able to:

* Assist with feasibility studies and proof of concept projects being carried out during 2008/2009
* Help scope and justify the public sector expenditure that will create and develop SDIs during the period 2008 - 2011 and beyond.

A number of other issues facing the geospatial industry will also be under discussion at the Conference which provides an excellent opportunity for delegates to share ideas and experiences. Both the INSPIRE event and 1Spatial Conference 2008 are taking place at the Radisson SAS Hotel, Stansted Airport, UK and are open to everyone with an interest in spatial data. Full details of the conference agenda are available at www.1spatial.com/conference/agenda.php.

Registration for the INSPIRE event and 1Spatial Conference 2008 is OPEN NOW. To find out more and register, please visit www.1spatial.com/conference or contact the conference team on conference@1spatial.com