Interoperable volunteered geographic information empowering e-governance processes: Case study for land use dataset in the city of Zagreb

Abstract

Spatial data resources have become very important phenomena in Europe within the last few decades. They are especially important in large cities due to the urbanisation trend. The expansion of urban areas due to the rise in the population and economic growth is increasing demand on natural resources, thereby causing land use changes. It is expected that by 2040, more than 60% of the world’s population will live in cities. In order to manage sustainable development and support e-governance processes, the efficient integration of relevant spatial data is needed. Land use data deliver an asset for local governments to develop better strategy for urbanistic planning, in order to manage land in a sustainable way. This work presents the methodology used to collect VGI observations for land use area definition based on the LUCAS (Land Use and Cover Area frame Survey) fieldwork methodology, HILUCS (Hierarchical INSPIRE Land Use Classification System), and reference topographic dataset. The practical research work was performed in June 2014 during the GIS Summer School in the city of Zagreb, in a dual collaboration between the Faculty of Geodesy, University of Zagreb and Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra. The results try to offer and verify a suitable proposal for fieldwork methodology and updating a land use database in line with the INSPIRE directive applicable at the local spatial data infrastructure level.