Tomas Mildorf
Research Fellow
University of West Bohemia
Czech Republic

Biography
Tomas Mildorf - Ph.D. (2012) in Geomatics, University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Research activities related to infrastructures for spatial information, spatial planning and data integration. Coordinator of large EU projects in the field of geomatics.

Abstract
Danube Reference Data and Services Infrastructure

Co-Authors:
Martin Tuchyňa, Slovak Environment Agency, Slovakia
Robin S. Smith, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Italy
Alexander Kotsev, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Italy
Boris Antić, University of Novi Sad, Serbia
Vlado Cetl, University of Zagreb, Croatia
Pavel Milenov, Remote Sensing Application Center, Bulgaria
Christine Gassner, Austrian Environmental Agency, Austria
Florian Petrescu, Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, Romania
Maria Ovdii, Agency for Land Relations and Cadastre of the Republic of Moldova
Nikola Cvjetkovic, Federal Administration for Geodetic and Real Property Affairs, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Jean Dusart, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Italy

In 2010, the European Commission adopted a Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). European countries whose territories belong to the Danube river basin joined this initiative. The main aims of the EUSDR include a broad spectrum of areas that should be tackled in cross-border context. The EUSDR is subdivided into priority areas, such as: improving mobility, safety and security, supporting sustainable energy, culture and tourism and strengthening competitiveness and cooperation. The majority of them require the extensive use of harmonized macro-regional datasets, which implies the need of a long-term strategy for data and service interoperability. In 2013, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (JRC) launched several activities aiming to provide scientific support to the EUSDR. One of the main incentives of this support is to bridge the gap between data and their relevant exploitation and interpretation for decision making purposes. In order to fulfil this goal, the JRC focuses on key topics of the Danube region, such as water, soil, air and bioenergy. A horizontal component of the JRC's support is the Danube Reference Data and Service Infrastructure (DRDSI), which is the subject of this contribution. The DRDSI is also endorsed by the EUSDR, as it was proposed as one of the flagship actions of Priority Area 07 "To develop the Knowledge Society (research, education and ICT)". The DRDSI is an infrastructure of data and services that are available in the Danube region. The DRDSI is closely connected with INSPIRE by adapting its principles and specifications for data and service sharing. Moreover, DRDSI extends the INSPIRE to non-spatial data sets and application domains which are currently outside the scope of INSPIRE. The infrastructure is also seen as a showcase of using the INSPIRE principles in practice and across national borders, across the European Union and with neighbouring countries. This contribution will present the heterogeneity of both data and processes by several countries involved in the DRDSI development and the benefits to its users.