Power to make provision in relation to interoperability and harmonisation of spatial data sets and services
20.—(1) The appropriate authority may, by regulations, make provision for or in connection with the interoperability and harmonisation of spatial data sets and spatial data services.
(2) Regulations under paragraph (1) may, in particular, amend the Interoperability Implementing Regulation.
(3) In exercising the power under paragraph (1), the appropriate authority must have regard to—
(a)relevant user requirements,
(b)existing initiatives,
(c)international standards for the harmonisation of spatial data sets, and
(d)feasibility and cost benefit considerations.
(4) Regulations under paragraph (1) must (when taken together with the Interoperability Implementing Regulation)—
(a)incorporate any standards to ensure the interoperability or harmonisation of spatial data sets and spatial data services which have been adopted by any organisation established under international law;
(b)include provision defining and classifying spatial objects relevant to spatial data sets relating to the themes listed in Annex 1, 2 or 3 to the Metadata Implementing Regulation and the way in which those spatial data are geo-referenced;
(c)so far as they relate to spatial data sets corresponding to one or more of the themes listed in Annex 1 or 2 to the Metadata Implementing Regulation—
(i)contain provision concerning the matters in paragraph (5),
(ii)ensure consistency between items of information which refer to the same location or between items of information which refer to the same object represented at different scales, and
(iii)ensure that information derived from different spatial data sets is comparable as regards the matters referred to in sub-paragraph (b) and paragraph (5).
(5) The matters are—
(a)a common framework for the unique identification of spatial objects, to which identifiers can be mapped in order to ensure interoperability between them;
(b)the relationship between spatial objects;
(c)the key attributes and the corresponding multilingual thesauri commonly required for policies which may have an impact on the environment;
(d)information on the temporal dimension of the data;
(e)updates of the data.
(6) Before making regulations under this regulation, the appropriate authority must consult such persons with an interest in the spatial data concerned as the appropriate authority considers appropriate.