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NAME OF NATION: CYPRUS
Name of Person Supplying Information: Andreas Hadjiraftis
Title (if any): Lands officer- spatial databases
Mailing Address: 17 Alasias Street 1075 Nicosia Cyprus
E-mail Address: dlslic@cytanet.com.cy
Telephone Number: +357 2 304900
Fax Number: +357 2 767001
Does your nation have an active or proposed initiative for developing a national spatial data infrastructure (or its equivalent)?

YES

**** POLICY ISSUES ****

LEADERSHIP: Which agency or organization is coordinating or leading national spatial data infrastructure

(NSDI) development efforts in your nation? (If no single agency is coordinating, please provide a primary point of contact from whom we may learn more.)

Agency/Organization Name: Department of Lands and Surveys
Mailing Address: H/A, 29 Michalakopoulov street 1455 Nicosia, Cyprus
E-mail Address: dlslic@cytanet.com.cy
Telephone Number: 357 2 304919
Fax Number: 357 2 766056
Name of Agency Head or Primary Contact Person: Emilios Makrides (director)

AVAILABILITY: What are the primary types, categories or forms of spatial digital data being made available through your nation's NSDI?

Spatial information that is captured and maintained by the Department of Lands and Surveys (DLS) constitute the official database reference on which other Government Departments, semi-government authorities, local government and other private land related agencies, base or intend to base their local spatial networks. Spatial information maintained by DLS include the following: geodetic control network, cadastral boundaries, buildings, topographical features (suchs as contours, rivers, roads), survey measurements, administrative boundaries, map index etc.

DLS is currently implementing a National Integrated Land Information Systems which will automate all Departmental procedures and will serve the Land Information community in Cyprus.

MECHANICS OF ACCESS: Through what technical and organizational mechanisms are spatial data being made available through the NSDI?

Spatial data can be accessed by officially applying to DLS Director. Since the Land Information System is currently in its early implementation stages there is no other mechanism available. Data that will be stored on the National LIS will be controlled by the National Land Information Council which was established in 1994 in which DLS has a leading role.

LEGAL AND ECONOMIC FRAMEWORKS FOR ACCESS: What are the legal and economic constraints under which citizens, businesses or others may gain access to data available through the NSDI?

Spatial data maintained by DLS is currently considered as property of DLS and the Government, and is not readily available to the public without official permission. However, DLS is studying different methods to revice the law and better serve the community by providing digital LIS data more efficiently.

DATA COLLECTION COORDINATION: What parties are involved in collecting data for the NSDI and how is data collection coordinated?

Cadastral, topographic, legal and fiscal data collection is coordinated internally within DLS. Government and semi-government departments are encouraged to base their data collection programs on DLS spatial databases. The National Land Information Council will be coordinating in a more efficient manner, the data collection projects among all LIS parties in order to avoid duplication of data and waste of money.

PRICING: If charges are assessed for spatial data made available through the NSDI, what is the basis or method for determining the price of various forms of spatial data?

Pricing policies for spatial data will be soon available after the official implementation of the National LIS.

COMMERCIAL INVOLVEMENT: Please describe how private commercial firms are involved in helping to build the NSDI.

Private commercial firms are partially involved in the spatial data capture projects through commonly agreed procedures and contracts.

PUBLIC DOMAIN DATA SETS: Please describe those digital spatial data sets for jurisdictions within your nation that are available to anyone without any licensing or intellectual property restrictions imposed on the data sets and the data sets are available at no cost or little cost. How may copies be acquired of these public domain data sets?

N/A
PUBLIC GOODS ASPECTS OF NSDI: Please describe any additional services or goods provided by government in support of the NSDI for which individual users are not charged.

The National Land Information System was designed in such a way to provide a variety of services such as standard cadastral and topo map access, legal informatin access and fical information access to authorised users and to the public.

PRIVACY: Please describe how the information privacy of individual citizens is protected relative to data that may be accessed through the NSDI.

The National Land Information System was designed in such a way to provide several security leveles and to provide access to several groups of authorized users. Confidential information is kept only for internal DLS use and access is restricted.

**** OPERATIONAL ISSUES ****

AUTHORITY: Do the laws or formal orders of any legislative or executive branches of government explicitly recognize the need to establish or further develop the NSDI?

YES. Counsil of Ministers Decision no. 41.657 of 1994. Through the Counsil of Ministers Decision, the National Land Information Counsil was formed. The Counsil consists of 11 permanent members and is chaired by the Director General of the Ministry of Interior. The director of DLS has a leading role in the preparation of the strategic plan, data exchange standards, pricing policies etc.
FUNDING: Have funds been specifically budgeted and acquired for NSDI activities?

YES

If YES, please describe the purpose of the funds and the amounts.

a. Cadastral Map Digitization
b. Re-survey Project - field survey
c. Hardware and software installation for the National Land Information System
d. Photogrammetry data capture

Total amounts for the above projects is not available for the public.

INCLUSIVENESS: Please describe the types and extent of participants involved in building the NSDI and their roles.

DLS users from the following sections are involved in building the NSDI:

a. Geodetic Section
b. Photogrammetry Unit
c. Spatial Data Capture Unit
d. Spatial systems Development Unit
e. Analytical Cartography Unit
f. GPS data Capture Unit

COMPONENTS: Please indicate whether the vision of an NSDI for your nation incorporates the following components or concepts.

A. METADATA YES
B. CLEARINGHOUSE NO
C. DATA STANDARDS YES
D. CORE DATA YES

RESEARCH: Have funds been specifically budgeted and spent on research projects to advance NSDI concepts?

YES.

a. Report of the Study into the Computerization of Land Records, 1987
b. Cyprus Land Information Project- Strategic Plan, 1989.
c. Proposed Cyprus Survey Law and Regulations, 1992.

LINKAGE TO GENERAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS - Which international or national information and communication technology standards has the NSDI adopted?

Client/server architecture was adopted based on UNIX operating system. Leased telecom lines are used for exchanging data between district offices.

GLOBAL SPATIAL DATASETS: Does your NSDI provide access to spatial datasets with global coverage?

GLOBAL OR REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVES: Is your NSDI formally affiliated with or connected to any global or regional spatial data infrastructure initiatives?

LONG TERM VISION OR STRATEGIC PLAN: Has a long term vision statement or strategic plan been developed for your country's NSDI?

YES. N/A

GRAND CHALLENGES: Name one of the most pressing challenges for NSDI development in your nation.

DLS is trying to encourage all LIS users to use the same DLS spatial data base in order to ensure that it will be technically possible to exchange and synchronize data.

FURTHER INFORMATION: If an NSDI WEB SITE exists where information about NSDI efforts in your nation may be found in the future, please provide the web site address.

N/A