GET SDI Portal, a platform for viewing, analysing and editing geospatial information that was originally developed for Greece's energy regulator, is increasingly being used by both public administrations and companies. Its open source licence is spurring its re-use in Greece, the United Kingdom, Ecuador, Ghana and Nepal, reports Theodoros Vakkas, involved in the development of the portal solution.
Vakkas presented the GET SDI Portal at the Inspire conference, which took place in the Danish city of Ålborg from 16 to 20 June.
The GET SDI Portal is made available on the Github code development platform, published under the GPLv3 free software licence. The solution allows public administrations and others to manage spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) and to make spatial and geographic information accessible. The portal was originally built to help Greece's energy regulator (RAE) manage and share its data on the environment.
Ready in 5 minutes
Following its first release in 2011, the tool has expanded and now offers a comprehensive solution for viewing, downloading, analysing, querying, editing and styling data originating from multiple geospatial sources, and includes a 3D map-view. At the same time, it provides a straightforward and quick way to set up a standard compliant geoportal, says Vakkas, who heads the geoinformatics department at Getmap, the Athens-based company that began development of the GET SDI. Following installation, Vakkas says "it can ready for use in 5 minutes."
Speaking in Ålborg, Vakkas said that this is thanks to the solutions' modular approach, allowing the configuration to be gradually expanded. The tool can easily be integrated with CKAN, a system for data storage and distribution.
According to Vakkas the solution is already being re-used by 10 municipalities in Greece as well as the Athens' urban planning and environmental protection agency. Other examples of re-use include Ecuador's Military Geographical Institute, and a Nepalese forest resource management organisation.
More information:
GET SDI Portal on Github
GET SDI Portal on Joinup
Presentation: "Get sdi portal: Delivering inspire through open source technology" (pdf)
Regulatory Authority for Energy
Regulatory Authority for Energy Geospatial Map