Ziggy Vanlishout
Product Owner
Flemish Geographical Information Agency
Belgium

Biography
Ziggy Vanlishout has been working for the Flemish Geographical Information Agency since 2002. The mission of the FGIA is to enable an optimal application of geographical information within the region. Ziggy is the coordinator of FGIA’s spatial address register project and FGIA’s roads register project. He was involved in the development of INSPIRE data specifications as an expert member of the thematic working group on addresses. Currently Ziggy coordinates the ‘Basic geographical registries for Flanders’ project. This project aims at developing an integrated and harmonized set of geographical base registers for addresses, buildings, parcels, roads and large scale topography.

Abstract
Basic Geographical Registries for Flanders

The Flemish Geographical Information Agency (FGIA) has embarked on a project that will develop a set of integrated 'basic registries' for geographical information in Flanders. The set will at least consist of registries for addresses, buildings, cadastral parcels, roads and topography. Today the FGIA distributes a number of 'authentic data sources'. These products have good quality and are well established. The products have been put up as independent silos. Therefore we experience problems in maintenance and distribution of data. Information in different products is not always in sync and sometimes contradictory. The need for more interoperable data and harmonisation with INSPIRE data specifications are two of the main reasons to start the project. The project has a strong model driven approach. Data is modelled according to a set of modelling rules. Data models are described as UML class diagrams using the Sparx Enterprise Architect tool with version management (provided by Team Foundation Server). Stereotypes are reused from the 'UML profile for INSPIRE data specifications'. Based on the UML models, GML application schemas and documentation (feature catalogues) are automatically generated using the ShapeChange tool. The use of standards and tools to automatically generate the implementable data models guarantees that the actual data and the data models are directly related. With the data models in place, the project will design service models that are bound to business processes. Together the business processes constitute an integrated maintenance system where centralised and decentralised data collection efforts efficiently work. Finally, the project will design an application and infrastructure architecture that should implement the service models to provide a controlled data management/maintenance system. The presentation will (1) give a short overview of the authentic sources being distributed by the FGIA today, (2) list the reasons that have led to the start of the project, (3) explain de mission, scope and objectives of the project and (4) provide an overview of the rules, methods and tools that will be used to reach the objectives of the project.