1. NAME OF NATION: POLAND
  2. Name of Person Supplying Information: Edward Mecha
    Title (if any):
    Mailing Address: 41-500 CHORZOW, ul.Urbanowicza 37
    E-mail Address: geobid@geobid.com.pl
    Telephone Number: +48 32 2417 484
    Fax Number: +48 32 2417 269
  3. Does your nation have an active or proposed initiative for developing a national spatial data infrastructure (or its equivalent)?

    4. YES and NO

    There are many dispersed GIS systems, which are offered mainly by the AMreican GIS systems dealres.
    There also exists a National GIS Model based on the cadastree and Land register, which uses mainly the domestic software implemented in many towns and regions.
    There is no special state policy in this domain. there are mainly the local initiatives not coordinatred by the state authorities.

    **** POLICY ISSUES ****

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

    5. (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.)

    According to the law this should be:

    Agency/Organization Name: the National Main Office of Geodesy and Cartography
    Mailing Address: 00-950 Warszawa, ul.Wspolna 2

    Name of Agency Head or Primary Contact Person: Mr R. Piotrowiski (Department of Cartography and Photogrammetry) for GIS problems and Mr. S. Gelo, head of the Department of Geodesy.

    A social association GISPOL, which is leaded by Mr. Echa, assists in realisation of this task.

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

    6. According to the national GIS concept the primary types of data are the cadastral coordinates completed by digital data from photogrammetry images, orthophotomaps and satellite images.
    But it is not a homogeneous system and has many varieties particularly in the systems offered by American GIS dealers.

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

    7. There is no clearinghouse of data.There are no special rules of making data public available. Existing GIS systems serve mainly the users that create the systems.

  7. 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?

    8. The data of cadastral bases are available to legal regulations as generally available data. The other data have not any special regulations to make them accessible and normally are used only by the main user.

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

    9. A system of data collection coordination does not exist.

  9. 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?

    10. The cadastre data are sold according to the state pricing regulations. The other data do not have functioning rules for pricing.

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

    11. Every private firm can take part in any tendering process to build the GIS data. In this domain only the free market rules are binding.

  11. 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?

    The data for local and state authorities are free of charge.
  12. 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.

    13. Polish authorities respect the international GIS standards (ISO and CEN).

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

    We have a new privacy proteting law in Poland in force for 4 months (may 1998). Every GIS system should be registered by the special state authority authorised for the privacy protection aspects.

    14. **** OPERATIONAL ISSUES ****

  14. 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?

    15. NO

  15. FUNDING: Have funds been specifically budgeted and acquired for NSDI activities?

    16. YES. A program of developing GIS is financed by Science Research Committee and realised by the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography.

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

    17. State and local authorities. Private sector according to the need and possibility.

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

    18. A. METADATA NO
    B. CLEARINGHOUSE NO
    C. DATA STANDARDS Partially (cadastre)
    D. CORE DATA YES. The National Store of Geodesy and Cartography Documentation.

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

    19. As in point 15

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

    20. The ISO and CEN standards. Poland takes part in the works of the European Standardisation Committee.

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

    21. NI do not think that so exist.

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

    22. YES. Thanks to the cooperation between GISPOL and EUROGI. GISPOL is a member of EUROGI.

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

    23. I think that such a strategic plan will be created this year still.

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

    24.  To organize a unique GIS system in Poland.

  24. 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.

    25. The conclusions of the GIS conference which took place in September 1998.