Towards a User-centric SDI Framework for Historical and Heritage European Landscape Research

Abstract

Spatial scientific research has increasingly become multidisciplinary. The need for different disciplines to share thematic knowledge and information has increased. However, not many Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) have succeeded in facilitating the needs of these multidisciplinary research communities. This article provides a methodological framework for the development of a user-centric SDI and applies it to the academic community that researches the history and heritage of urban and rural landscapes in the Netherlands. In addition, it demonstrates how the users’ objectives and Geospatial Information literacy can be determined, in order to inform the conceptual and technological architecture of a user-centric SDI. The architecture of the historical and heritage landscape SDI focusses on developing a user-centric dashboard, which is placed at the centre of the SDI, and developed as the result of a top-down analysis of the users. The framework and architecture presented function as an example for other third-generation SDIs, and form a reference point for the development of historical and heritage landscape SDIs in Europe.