Jurij REZEK
Ministry of the Environment and Physical Planning of the Republic
of Slovenia
the Geoinformation Centre of the RS
Dunajska 48, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
E-mail: jurij.rezek@mop.sigov.mail.si
ABSTRACT
The fact that reliable and accessible information on land, environment and real estate ownership is a base for effective land management, development of land market, protection of ownership and transactions, implementation of real estate based taxation systems and is a stimulator of investments has led the Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of the Environment and Physical Planning to a project of establishing geoinformation support to some procedures of physical planning, environmental protection and real estate management. The ONIX project described in the paper will form a base of the national land information system. It is financed from a loan from International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to the Republic of Slovenia. The goal of the project is to assure reliable, consistent, up to date and above all accessible information to support the mentioned procedures. By involving state and local administration, public companies and private sector it directly supports better operation and quality of government’s services and also Slovenia’s transition to an improved and competitive economy.
BASIC DATA ON SLOVENIA
Slovenia is a Central-European country which gained independence by disintegration of the former Federal Republic Yugoslavia in 1991. It has 20.256 km2 and is situated between the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Panonic lowland. The capital is Ljubljana. The neighbouring countries are Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. Slovenia is mainly covered with forests (more than 50%), the rest are agricultural and urban areas. The public administration consists of central government and 147 local communities, of which there are 12 municipal communities. It has 2 million inhabitants of which there are 600.000 land owners. Slovenia is in a process of privatisation and transfer of ownership of land and real estate property from co-operative to private ownership (200.000 requests nearly resolved). The investment processes in the public sector are intense (infrastructure investments 22% of GDP). The GDP in 1997 was 10.500 US$.
THE ONIX PROJECT RATIONALE
The status and state of the registers on legal status and physical condition of real estate property and land use certainly is not worse in the Republic of Slovenia than it is in other European countries in transition. However it reflects the attitude that we had towards property, which could be described at least as careless. The worst situation is in the fields where existence of accurate and reliable registers on inventory of real estate, ownership, legal and actual rights is the base for efficiency and effectiveness of the resource management, land management, taxation systems, and for legal protection of the real estate ownership and transactions. In the society which respects and protects private ownership and is promoting and encouraging market oriented economy this is inadmissible.
This fact and the fact that Slovenia is applying to association with the EU has put us in the situation of establishing and modernising all relevant above mentioned registers and databases, to establish firm legal protection of ownership and investments, to establish corresponding legislative and regulatory regimes and thus also to support the EU entry.
Quite some institutions in the Republic of Slovenia such as Statistical Bureau of the RS, Ministry of Finance of the RS, Ministry of Justice of the RS, and of course Ministry for the Environment and Physical Planning of the RS are involved in resolving the mentioned matters and are putting significant efforts in regulating them. Not to mention also the growing interest of local communities, which are financially dependent on real estate management and taxation systems on real estate. Therefore the co-ordinated establishment and maintenance of information systems in different branches and levels of administration is of great importance.
Geoinformation Centre Of The Republic Of Slovenia
One of mayor characteristics of the Ministry for the Environment and Physical Planning of the RS (MEPP) are the data and information referenced to Earth, so called geo-referenced data (also geoinformation). By Law the MEPP is responsible for the matters that relate to environment protection, physical planning, interventions into space, construction of buildings, geodesy, land cadastre and geooriented information systems. The MEPP is putting lots of efforts and is taking initiatives in regulating and supporting decision making in the matters of environment, resource and land management. In almost all of the working areas of the MEPP the creation and use of geo-referenced data is typical (of course the emphasis is on digital geo-referenced data, but not excluding analogue ones). Therefore also management and distribution (dissemination) of this data to the users is essential as the MEPP by it’s digital geo-referenced data supports and gives a necessary base of data for a number of users. The users of those data are the MEPP’s units and sectors, other governmental institutions, local administration, local communities, public and private sector and citizens.
From the reasons of co-ordination of establishment of reliable information related to land and real estate property and their timely assurance to the processes of land management in the central and local administration, an organisational unit called Geoinformation Centre of the Republic of Slovenia (GIC RS) was formed within the MEPP. It’s primary role is to co-ordinate and act in the fields of standardisation, legislation, organisation, funding and marketing, distribution and exchange of geo-referenced data. Therefore GIC RS deals with questions related to the geographical information (GI) management (1). To achieve the goal a number of legal, technical, administrative and institutional options must be resolved as a base to establish so called Slovenian geoinformation infrastructure (SGII).
THE ONIX PROJECT
The MEPP has recognised that the real importance of the geo-referenced data and information is in their reliability, accessibility, content and value which they offer to the processes and users. Therefore, the Republic of Slovenia has within so called ‘Environmental Project’, financed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD- The World Bank) launched also a project ONIX - Establishment of Slovenian geoinformation infrastructure. The Loan agreement for 35 million DEM has been signed with the WB in 1996, of which 5 million DEM is for the ONIX project, and in 1997 the project has started.
The ONIX project is executed within the frame of the MEPP by the GIC RS. The project director is the State Secretary responsible for the area of physical planning. The project manager is the Head of the GIC RS. The project is divided into subprojects, which are managed by heads of subprojects, the people who are within the MEPP responsible for the subjects of the subprojects. The sectors of the MEPP involved in the Project are the Geodetic Authority, Physical Planning Authority and Nature Protection Authority. In addition to the sectors and persons directly involved in the project execution, representatives of the ministries competent for particular matters as well as representatives of larger and more important future system users and data producers will take part in the project implementation team as well.
The Project will last for three-and-a-half years and will be concluded by the year 2000 which is the final deadline for submitting the final report, and the inspection and assessments of the implementation of the project. The Project is divided into four stages; the preparatory, expert, implementation and final stage.
Within the ONIX project there are six subprojects altogether, one to institutionalise the GI infrastructure (SGII subproject), three pilot subprojects executed together with the three pilot municipalities and two supporting subprojects (land cadastre and topography).
The basic objective of the ONIX project is establishment of conditions to:
The first part of this objectives expresses aims of establishment of a number of SGII components that will be mentioned below and are parts of SGII subproject, where the second part of the objectives is directed towards use and specific users above all to the government and local administration.
Basic tasks to be realised within the ONIX project are:
Those are the so called SGII components of the Project.
THE SGII SUBPROJECT COMPONENTS
Standardisation
Undoubtedly standardisation is an important field of work within the ONIX project. Attention to standards allows simplification and rationalisation of a number of tasks, although to individual users this might seem just the opposite at first sight. In parallel to establishment of the system, which will inform the users of the existence and method of acquiring data and also enable them access to data, we will also ensure the standardisation of those processes and of the data itself. It is important to emphasise that the data on which there will be no standardised information and which will not be accessible in a simple and uniform way, and stable in terms of structure and method of storage, will not contribute to the increase of the knowledge base and, through this, to better decision-making.
The first important steps in the field of standardisation have already been taken in Slovenia. In 1995 (on the initiative of MEPP and GIC RS) a technical board for geographical information was founded in Slovenia and is concerned with this field. The technical board will see that Slovenia begins to accept suitable standards and, through SGII carriers (at this moment this is the MEPP and the GIC RS), the consolidation and use of these standards will be taken care of.
Data Exchange And Distribution
We can still see insufficient notification of users regarding the existence of certain data, both inside and outside state administration. The result of this is that data and databases are frequently duplicated, even if the authorisations and responsibilities for management of data have been assigned, which is not always the case. By considering the cost of setting-up and maintaining geo-referenced data, the result is frequently very high price of data per unit of use.
Although we know that certain data exist, methods of acquiring such data are frequently unknown, or else these methods are tedious and demanding. This fact frequently causes unnecessary toil, irrationality, or even the cessation of some activities, which holds true both for the users of geo-coded data within state administration and all others that need such data, or for whom such data may even be intended.
The exchange of existing data between the locations in which the data is created and managed (producers), and among those that need such data, is too small. Even if there exists a desire for this exchange, it is made difficult for many reasons. If we can ensure improved data exchange and frequency of use of such data for various purposes at different locations (users), the price of data per unit of use could be greatly reduced. And it is for this reason that the state administration, as the biggest producer and user of data, is interested in the data being used as frequently as possible within itself as it itself derives the greatest benefit from this.
The other sections of public administration and a series of users from business and the private sector are also interested in acquiring and using the existing data for their own use. They are even prepared to contribute to a certain share of the costs that are created with the dissemination or management of data. With legal restrictions in mind, there must surely exist the possibility and the interest of the state that its data also be distributed for such purposes. The result is economic, the price of data per unit of use thereby falls.
Metadata System And Its Role In Providing Information
All data and databases created have to have their own description, so called metadata. Metadata is the data on a data series, and refers to its content, structure, quality, ownership and conditions of their access and use. There is a number of organisations in the world that deal with the standardisation of the methods of how to describe geo-coded data (2). Slovenian standardisation in this field is also carrying out corresponding activities. In addition, activities in the field of the acquisition of metadata from those who are establishing and managing databases has to be regularly implemented; these people also have to be encouraged and/or obliged to describe the metadata and to acquaint other potential users with their data in an organised and transparent manner. With this, the possibility of data-exchange is created, thereby increasing their use.
The collection and dissemination of metadata is being carried out in Slovenia within the framework of the MEPP and the GIC RS. Within the framework of MEPP and GIC RS a modern, computer-aided system of notifying users of data on metadata, the so-called metadata system is being created, which is public and generally accessible, and intended for any user. The next step will be to establish a method for ensuring an effective, modern, computer-aided method of disseminating the data itself from producers to end users. This actually means the establishment of a metadata standard for the description of data, then a central computer system (server) with the above-mentioned role, and a system for rapid communication between the providers and users of the system.
Organisational and Legal Aspects for the Establishment of SGII
In addition to the important specialised and technical questions mentioned above, the ONIX project deals also with the fields of authorisations, legislation, funding and organisation.
Within the framework of the project, the questions of the competencies and obligations of the individual state bodies and institutions will have to be precisely clarified for the setting-up, control and maintenance of data.
Questions will have to be answered regarding the conditions under which some of the data is accessible. All existing legislation in the field of data protection and the protection of the rights of authors have to be considered here. The users of geo-referenced data will have to be differentiated and awarded different rights and conditions for data access - an extremely important and sensitive issue, but one which cannot be avoided. With the ONIX project, a number of patterns, habits and methods of work within state and local administration, public services, commerce and in the private sector will be affected and will have have to be changed. A number of local and sectorial GI centres will have fo be formed. These are very difficult and complex fields, key to the successful launch of the SGII.
PILOT SUBPROJECTS WITHIN ONIX
Three pilot subprojects within the ONIX project are designed to serve as the application part of the ONIX project and are being executed together with three pilot municipalities. Ljubljana, as the biggest urban center in Slovenia is selected for the environment protection subproject, Maribor as the biggest industrial center for the real estate management subproject and Koper as the frontier town with expected foreign investments for the physical planning subproject.
GI Support To Physical Planning
Within the ONIX project in the field of physical planning, we shall, in a concrete manner, ensure geographical information basis to support spatial planning processes at the state level (a national physical plan), and ensure support for planning at the municipal level and for the organisation of settlements, above all the spatial implementation acts. Based on the legislation concerning the field of physical planning and development as well as the legislation concerning building construction, the aim of the pilot project is to establish some segments of geoinformation system supporting the local level physical planning and issuing of building permits.
The data sources necessary, acquisition of those data and processing will be documented. We will precisely define, model and implement the planning permit granting procedure and then establish an information system which will support the entire administrative procedure of permit issuing (application, approvals, permit, decree, appeal). In parallel with this it will be also necessary to define proposals for changes theses for statutory regulation of the physical planning. Important issue is also motivation and co-operation of relevant public and private institutions which take part in the processes or are data producers.
GI Support To Real Estate Management
Real estate management in general is decision making associated with real estate issues at different levels, state and local. The basis for good quality management of real estates are respective records supporting the procedures and processes of recording, evaluation, regulation of ownership relations, use of real estates and real estate market. The geoinformation support of this field is to provide, link and efficiently use the necessary databases. It therefore involves the integration of participants through interconnection of primarily existing records and data collections and the definition of links at setting-up new ones.
The basic objective of the subproject is to improve quality of real estate management as well as to facilitate regulation of real estate market. In this frame it is necessary to provide possibilities for the improvement of the operation of systems which are a source of government and community revenue (compensations, charges, rates, taxes, etc.) and to regulate the authority for keeping and maintaining records and other data collections between the state and community levels. It will be necessary to prepare the concepts for revisions and amendments or the adoption of new legal or other formal bases;
The basic topics of the subproject are two which are intertwined to a large extent. These are the recording of real estate owned by the community (and state) and "municipal rent", i.e. compensation for building-land use. At a first glance these two topics apply only to the sphere of authority and interests of the community, but a detailed study shows that the situation is somewhat different. These problems in fact concern the real estate in greatest demand, in the most intensive areas where the value of real estate is the highest as is the lack of available space and, naturally, the clashing of interests (state, community, etc.). To regulate or establish (record) the ownership, as the case may be, is of essential importance for all further real estate management and is thus in the interest of all involved parties, while the problem of "municipal rent" is pressing particularly as one of the basic financing sources of communities, i.e. as an inflow into the community (municipal in the case of a municipal community) budget.
GI Support To Environmental Aspect Of Physical Planning
When preparing spatial components of community plans and their modifications it is also necessary to consider all normative concepts related to the preparation of technical materials, studies and documentation from the environmental aspect. In the present circumstances, when also the implementing regulations of the Environment Protection Act are coming in force, the preparation procedure and contents of technical materials and documents as well as the method of inclusion into the procedures stipulated by the applicable spatial and building legislation has not been worked out yet.
For this reason the subproject should fundamentally determine all necessary contents and procedures as well as define in detail the required data contents for environmental studies at the community level. Also the management of necessary data for this purpose would be provided within the frame of the project.
The basic objectives of the subproject are to determine contents and procedures of including the environmental aspect of planning into the physical planning system at the community level, to prepare in detail the necessary data contents for environmental studies at the community level and to provide conditions and data setting for the needs of environmental aspect of physical planning. In addition to fulfilling these three objectives the purpose of the subproject is also to test the drafts for the preparation of the Environment Protection Act implementing regulations concerning physical planning, and to establish the links with the effective spatial and building legislation.
The subproject with such contents would largely fill in the gap existing in the procedure of preparing technical materials for community planning acts, and help all communities, in particular those lacking suitable technical staff for their own development of the procedures related to the preparation of environmental issues.
CONCLUSIONS
The expert and database foundations necessary for the implementation of the subprojects will be defined. These tasks will be supported with standardised databases, where data on topography and the land register will be very important. We shall also identify the other databases required, and they will be standardised. The setting-up and management of data by the government and others outside it will be required. A method will be established so that this data is disseminated to those locations in which the above-mentioned procedures are to be implemented. Within the framework of the MEPP and the GIC RS, a central metadata server and specific standardised procedures for ensuring data on data and the dissemination of the required data to the users will be set up. Special servers will also be set up at the local level; this will be a composite part of the distributed data system. The existing hardware, software and communication equipment needed for its implementation will be upgraded. The project will also delve into the field of legislation, the organisation and method of financing the operation of the system for the management of metadata, and the dissemination of data. These are much more complex than the technical segments, and are a key factor in the success of the project.
The ONIX project has to be understood and observed as a long-term public investment for the establishment of a geographical information infrastructure which, after its initial period, will be able to be self-supporting through its dissemination of data, and its use in activities related to spatial management and related interventions.
The project will also encourage the private sector to co-operate in the construction of the geographical information infrastructure system, and following on from that, in its operations. There exists a real possibility that the operation of those parts of the system under state control and management will be transferred to the private sector; this applies particularly to the field of data management and the technical infrastructure.
The last (but crucial) factor for the success of the project is the preliminary and continuous training of the participants in the project, and also of the more numerous, future users of the geographical information infrastructure system. Ignorance of the system, orientations and activities could cause its rejection.
REFERENCES
USA, Federal Register: Executive Order 12906, Coordinating Geographic data Acquisition and Access: The National Spatial Data Infrastructure, 1994;
Resolution of the symposium ‘Cadastre and Environment in the Countries of Central and Eastern Europe with Application of GIS/LIS, GPS and RS’, 1994;
FIG, Statement on the Cadastre, 1995;
EGII:EGII Discussion Document: Towards a European Geographic Information Infrastructure (EGII), 1995;
Mapping Science committee, Washington D.C.: A Data Foundation For The National Spatial Data Infrastructure, 1995;
UN, The Bogor Declaration,1996;
UN, Land Administration Guidelines, 1996;
World Bank, Staff Appraisal Report, the Republic of Slovenia, Environment Project, 1996
Ordnance Survey GB: Economic Aspects of the collection, dissemination and Integration of government’s geospatial information, 1996;
RAVI Netherlands Council for Geographic Information: The National Geographic Information Infrastructure, 1996;
MEPP of RS, Project ONIX: Organisation, Implementation and Execution Plan, 1996
Association for Geographic Information GB: The effective Supply and Use of Government held information, 1997;
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Jurij Rezek, B.Sc., born in 1958, has graduated on Ljubljana University, Faculty for Civil Engineering and Geodesy in 1984 in computer aided cartography with exelent grade. Firstly employed in Geodetic Enterprise of Slovenia as Head of Department of Informatics, after that as Head of Sector of Informatics in the Ministry of Defence of RS, became in 1993 Counsellor of the Government and Head of the Geoinformation Centre RS within the Ministry of the Environment and Physical Planning of the RS. He is a member of Slovenian Surveying Association and a delegate of RS in the FIG Commission 7 since 1994 and also a delegate in the Association for Geographic Information since 1996. He has published number of articles in Slovenian papers and proceedings. His work is mainly closely connected to informatics, geoinformatics, land management, and land cadastre. He is the Project Manager of the World Bank financed project of establishment of Slovenian geoinformation infrastructure.