Christian Ansorge
Project Manager - SEIS and INSPIRE implementation
European Environment Agency
Denmark

Biography
Christian Ansorge studied Surveying in Germany and GIS in Austria. Before he changed to the field of environment he applied his knowledge and skills in the field of archaeology. From 2008 till 2013 Christian was working for the Austrian Environment Agency. During his time there he was mainly dealing with issues related to GIS as well as SDI. Since 2014 he is working as project manager for INSPIRE implementation for the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen, Denmark. Christian is intensively involved in the topics of SDI and INSPIRE since 2008.

Abstract
From Development to Implementation: Changing INSPIRE Communication Needs

Co-Authors:
Darja Lihteneger, EEA
Karen Fullerton, JRC
Paul Hasenohr, EEA
Paul Smits, JRC
Robert Tomas, JRC

With the transition from the development to the implementation of INSPIRE legal acts, a different need has emerged - to maintain and put to use the knowledge and experience that many experts collectively gained during the development of the Implementing Rules and the guidance documents. In the meantime, there also has been an increasing need to capture and share the experience that Member States' organisations have in implementing INSPIRE so that efficiencies can be gained in not reinventing the wheel; and corrective measures can be adopted if needed. Given that communication aspects are already embedded in all INSPIRE activities - from EU and national coordination to stakeholder involvement in INSPIRE pilot projects, a structured approach to Communication is of benefit to all. In fact, communication is a precondition for effective coordination and without any doubt a crucial success factor for INSPIRE, implemented as distributed system of systems which relies on collaboration of distributed actors. Furthermore communication and coordination ware marked as fields for improvement in the Public Consultation in 2014 and highlighted in the INSPIRE Mid-term evaluation report. In line with the INSPIRE Directive, the Commission assumes the responsibility for the coordination at Community level, with assistance from relevant organisations, especially the EEA. Member States co-ordinate stakeholders at the national level and communicate with the Commission through nominated points of contact. Now that we are in the implementation phase of INSPIRE, an active management of communication is becoming paramount: the INSPIRE community needs to collectively identify what works well, and what needs to be improved. For this to happen requires a collaboration between not only the INSPIRE stakeholders such as the representatives in the Maintenance and Implementation Group, but also with the communities that are affected by INSPIRE such as the thematic users, producers, and added value creators. The paper will outline the main aspects of the current and planned INSPIRE communication activities, and will give examples of how sharing best practices and lessons learned can help the implementation of the INSPIRE infrastructure and the use of this infrastructure across administrative and thematic boundaries.