Assessing the ability to share spatial data between emergency management organisations in the High North

Abstract: The decreasing extent of the Arctic sea ice has opened up new areas in the High North for industrial and commercial activities. These areas contain large reserves of oil and gas, and the region is home to some of the world’s richest fishing grounds. The region is of key strategic importance, and maintaining a Norwegian presence in the Arctic areas is considered to be a national priority. A major restructuring of the emergency management services in Norway is underway to accommodate the expected increase in commercial and industrial activity within the High North region. As part of this process, it is necessary to assess the current status of spatial data within the emergency management (EM) process. This project aims to fill the gap that exists in the current research on the Norwegian emergency management system, as little work has been done to assess the current ability to share spatial information between organisations participating in the emergency management process in the High North. This has been accomplished through a variety of methods, including a detailed GIS-analysis of the communication infrastructure, interviews with stakeholders in the emergency management process and analysis of modern research within the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) domain. The results shows multiple issues with the sharing of spatial information. These issues are both organisational and technological. Investigations into the organisational structure of the EM process revealed a complex hierarchy with varied spatial data needs and spatial data production responsibilities. This structure is highly dependent on pre-existing data sharing agreements, making it difficult to implement new data or additional stakeholders into the spatial data information networks. The lack of real-time sensor information and insufficient communication infrastructure also creates difficulties in acquiring and sharing up-to-date spatial information within the High North region. Possible solutions to the gaps and barriers from the investigate phase of the research was explored, with the aim of providing possible initiatives to augment the planned integration of emergency management spatial data into the Norwegian national SDI. A series of short-term initiatives aimed to resolve current gaps in functionality is suggested, as well as, potential longer-term development focuses, with the goal of implementing advanced GIS and SDI functionality into the next generation of SDI infrastructure.