Stefan Kollarits
Managing Director
PRISMA solutions
Austria

Biography
Dr. Stefan Kollarits is the founder of PRISMA solutions, briding the gap from academic research and teaching to the practical application of GIS. With a strong background in spatial planning and GIS technology he has gained broad experience in applying technological solutions in a variety of thematic and organisational settings. This includes national Spatial data Infrastructures, the management of (natural) disasters and specifically the integation of the usually isolated management processes related to transport infrastructure. In this respect his main interests currently focus on the issues of visioning and shaping of future role of eGovernment; integration of eGovernment processes for and into ITS services; and adaptation and transfer of well established solutions by PRISMA from Austria to other countries (like GIP - Graph Integration Platform and the traffic organisation and road maintenance solutions).

Abstract
SDI Challenges and Opportunities for Small and Medium Sized Municipalities: The Case of Transportation Related Services

In many municipalities Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) are still regarded as a cost factor, rather than as source of generating benefits. This is especially true for small and medium sized municipalities (roughly defined: population < 100.000). These municipalities are heterogeneous, in terms of technical equipment, data being produced and eGovernment work-flows established. But they represent a large part of the european population (in Germany, according to the 2011 census, more than two thirds live in small and medium sized municipalities). Thus these municipalities are an indispensable (potential) source of detailed data on various topics. But they are often facing substantial budget cuts and lack qualified staff. Challenges and potential solutions for this situation are discussed using transportation related services as an example. The framework conditions:
Municipalities have a broad range of tasks to provide services to its citizens. These include provision of technical and social infrastructure as well as social welfare services. In the transportation sector services often go beyond infrastructure provision and include (public) transportation services, road maintenance, traffic organisation and traffic information. The challenges: The current potentials of municipalities to secure their traffic management goals against regional/national players and “big industry" are small. Municipal data are either not used at all or its usage (and also the quality of information provided) is under external control. Small and medium sized municipalities often lack the institutional power and traffic management expertise, and are thus subject to externally generated traffic flows, rather than actors. Potential organisational solutions are: 1) Municipal level; 2) Municipal clusters; 3) Outsourcing (service providers); 4) Collaboration (regional or super-regional service platforms); 5) Collaboration with citizens and local/regional enterprises; 6) Combinations of any of the solutions listed above.