Spatial Data Infrastructures at Work: Analysing the Spatial Enablement of Public Sector Processes

257 Pages·2014·1.68 MB·English

by  Ezra Dessers

SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURES AT WORK

Spatial Data
Infrastructures
At Work
AnAlysing the spAtiAl enAblement of public sector processes
Ezra DEssErs
© 2013 by Leuven University Press / Universitaire Pers Leuven / Presses Universitaires de
Louvain. Minderbroedersstraat 4, B-3000 Leuven (Belgium).
All rights reserved. Except in those cases expressly determined by law, no part of this publication may
be multiplied, saved in an automated datafile or made public in any way whatsoever without the
express prior written consent of the publishers.
ISBN 978 90 5867 937 6
D/2013/1869/23
NUR: 755
Design: Friedemann
Cover: Jurgen Leemans
Cover illustration: Digital version of orthophotographs, middle scale, color, Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen,
AGIV and Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen, 2002 (GIS-Vlaanderen)
Table of Contents
List of Figures 9
List of Tables 10
Foreword 11
Acknowledgements 13
General introduction 15
Part 1 Research framework 21
Introduction 23
Chapter 1 Setting the scene: Spatial Data Infrastructures 25
1 Introduction 25
2 Background of SDI development 26
3 Definitions: charting the SDI landscape 27
4 What defines an SDI? 30
4.1 Objectives 30
4.2 Components 30
5 Conceiving SDI in systemic terms 31
5.1 The intermediate role of SDI 31
5.2 The objectives of SDI 32
5.3 The components of SDI 33
6 Conclusion 33
Chapter 2 Spatial enablement of processes 35
1 Introduction 35
2 SDI and processes 35
3 Spatial enablement 36
4 Process structure 37
4.1 Concepts 37
4.2 Application to SDI 39
5 Effectiveness of process structures:
a modern socio-technical systems approach 41
6 Positioning the current study in the MSTS research tradition 42
7 Changing demands 44
8 Process structures in SDI research 47
9 Research questions and propositions 51
9.1 Research questions 51
9.2 Propositions 52
10 Conclusion 53
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Chapter 3 Research design 55
1 Introduction 55
2 The study area 56
3 The unit of analysis: the process 57
4 Case selection 58
5 The embedded cases 59
6 Interviews 61
7 Qualitative analysis 62
8 Operationalisation 63
8.1 The inter-organisational level 64
8.2 The intra-organisational level 67
9 Evaluation of the research design 72
9.1 Validity and reliability 72
9.2 Strengths and limitations 74
10 Conclusion 76
Part 2 Case studies 77
Introduction 79
Chapter 4 The Zoning Plans case 81
1 Case description 81
2 The inter-organisational process 84
2.1 Spatial enablement 84
2.2 Process structure 84
2.3 Demands for flexibility 85
3 The intra-organisational processes 86
3.1 RWO 87
3.2 Limburg 90
3.3 West-Vlaanderen 93
3.4 Genk 96
3.5 Kortrijk 99
3.6 Leuven 102
4 Comparative analysis 105
4.1 Process structure and spatial enablement 107
4.2 Demands and spatial enablement 107
4.3 Organisational structure, process structure and spatial enablement 109
Chapter 5 The Addresses case 113
1 Case description 113
2 The inter-organisational process 115
2.1 Spatial enablement 115
2.2 Process structure 115
2.3 Demands for flexibility 116
3 The intra-organisational processes 116
3.1 Antwerpen 118
3.2 West-Vlaanderen 120
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3.3 Leuven 123
3.4 Mechelen 125
3.5 Zwijndrecht 127
4 Comparative analysis 129
4.1 Process structure and spatial enablement 131
4.2 Demands and spatial enablement 132
4.3 O rganisational structure, process structure and spatial enablement 133
Chapter 6 The Traffic Accidents case 137
1 Case description 137
2 The inter-organisational process 139
2.1 Spatial enablement 139
2.2 Process structure 139
2.3 Demands for flexibility 140
3 The intra-organisational processes 141
3.1 PZ Het Houtsche 142
3.2 PZ VLAS 143
3.3 PZ Leuven 145
3.4 Federal Police 147
3.5 ADSEI 149
3.6 MOW 150
3.7 Vlaams-Brabant 152
3.8 West-Vlaanderen 154
4 Comparative analysis 156
4.1 Process structure and spatial enablement 156
4.2 Demands and spatial enablement 158
4.3 O rganisational structure, process structure and spatial enablement 159
Chapter 7 The Flood Maps case 163
1 Case description 163
2 The inter-organisational process 165
2.1 Spatial enablement 165
2.2 Process structure 166
2.3 Demands for flexibility 167
3 The intra-organisational processes 167
3.1 Flemish Environment Agency 168
3.2 Flanders Hydraulics Research 171
3.3 Limburg 173
3.4 Vlaams-Brabant 175
3.5 Leuven 177
3.6 Sint-Truiden Water Board 179
4 Comparative analysis 180
4.1 Process structure and spatial enablement 181
4.2 Demands and spatial enablement 183
4.3 O rganisational structure, process structure and spatial enablement 184
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Chapter 8 Comparing the four inter-organisational processes 187
1 Overview of the variable values 187
2 Process structure and spatial enablement 188
3 Demands and spatial enablement 189
4 Conclusion 191
Chapter 9 Discussion 193
1 Introduction 193
2 Research questions, propositions and conceptual framework 193
2.1 The inter-organisational level 193
2.2 The intra-organisational level 197
2.3 Conclusion 204
3 Inter-organisational chains of intra-organisational subsystems 206
3.1 Introduction 206
3.2 Spatial enablement as an aspectsystem 207
3.3 Combinations of multiple production structures 208
3.4 Aligning objectives: mind the gap! 214
General conclusion 217
Afterword
by Joep Crompvoets 221
Afterword
by Geert Van Hootegem 223
Annex 1: Collected definitions of SDI 227
References of the collected definitions 234
Annex 2: List of the interviews 236
The Spatial Planning Case 236
List of case study interviews 236
List of explorative interviews 237
The Addresses Case 238
List of case study interviews 238
List of supporting interviews 239
List of explorative interviews 239
The Traffic Accidents Case 240
List of case study interviews 240
List of explorative interviews 241
The Flood Maps Case 241
List of case study interviews 241
List of explorative interviews 242
References 243
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List of Figures
Figure 1 E xtract of the Local Roads Atlas 15
Figure 2 C ases of cholera and the locations of water pumps 16
Figure 3 A shby’s model of regulation 32
Figure 4 B usiness functions 37
Figure 5 T he control structure and the production structure 38
Figure 6 S tudy area 56
Figure 7 T he process between and within organisations 57
Figure 8 C onceptual model 64
Figure 9 S chematic overview of the legal procedure for the Zoning Plans process 82
Figure 10 E xample of a graphical plan of a zoning plan 83
Figure 11 S chematic overview of the traffic accident registration procedure 137
Figure 12 S chematic overview of the flood mapping process 164
Figure 13 S ubsystems and aspectsystems 208
Figure 14 T he sequential production structure 209
Figure 15 T he parallel production structure 209
Figure 16 O verview of the symbols for parallel and sequential production structures
at the level of the inter-organisational process, at the level of the
intra-organisational process, and at the level of the organisation 210
Figure 17 O verview of the four possible combinations of parallel and sequential
production structures at the level of the inter-organisational process
and at the level of the intra-organisational process 211
Figure 18 S chematic presentation of combinations of inter-organisational and
intra-organisational process structures for the Zoning Plans case and
for the Traffic Accidents case 211
Figure 19 O verview of the eight possible combinations of parallel and sequential
production structures at the level of the inter-organisational process,
at the level of the intra-organisational process, and at the level of the
organisation 213
Figure 20 A lignment or gap between intra-organisational objectives and inter-
organisational aspect-related objectives. Overview of three possible
combinations in a sequential production structure 215
Figure 21 A lignment or gap between intra-organisational objectives and inter-
organisational aspect-related objectives. Overview of three possible
combinations in a parallel production structure 216
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