Geo-Participation Rhineland-Palatinate
Citizen participation is an essential component of modern democracy, which should become even more important in the planning tasks of municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate in the future. With the introduction of geographic information systems (GIS) in Rhineland-Palatinate administrations, the use of digital geodata has steadily increased in recent years. The provision of digital geodata and the use of modern information and communication technologies on the internet offer great opportunities, but also pose challenges for the administration and the citizens. If the spatial reference plays a significant role in decisions, geoinformation can be used in the decision-making processes. This research framework, referred to as “geo-participation”, is based on the term “eParticipation” and applies to IT-supported participation in which the spatial reference in the form of geoinformation plays an important or decisive role.
Motivation
Geo-Participation is an area that currently does not offer any universally valid approaches. Special issues must be investigated and process-specific solutions developed. The exemplary realisation of eGovernment processes of urban land use planning using INSPIRE for data exchange, as well as the conception of an online component in this context, is to be investigated holistically in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The aim of the project is to conduct a scientific analysis of geo-participation in the municipal environment at the municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate. Based on this, recommendations are to be made as to how and on the basis of which geodata the further development of citizen participation, urban land use planning and services for the implementation of the requirements of the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) can be implemented organisationally and in terms of information technology at the municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Activities
For this purpose, a scientific analysis of the use of GIS and GDI in the municipal environment is to be carried out at the municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate. On the basis of this, recommendations are to be made as to how and on the basis of which geodata the further development of citizen participation, urban land use planning and services for the implementation of the requirements of the State Geodata Infrastructure Act (LGDIG) and the EU Directive on the establishment of an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) can be implemented in Rhineland-Palatinate municipalities in terms of organisation and information technology.
A survey of existing resources in the municipalities is fundamental and helpful, as it provides a good overview of the requirements and implementation for the entire INSPIRE process. This includes not only deadlines for the state administrations, but also obligatory milestones for the municipalities. From the perspective of the geodata-holding authorities affected by INSPIRE, it is important to focus on the implementation dates. The resulting dates, deadlines and milestones for implementation must be taken into account both retrospectively and as a future framework condition in the spatial data infrastructure (GDI) of the municipalities.
Results
The model implementation and introduction of geodata-based citizen participation and geodata-based services of the municipalities will further focus the expansion of the GDI-RP by making municipal decision-making processes transparent and better illustrated with geodata. The online participation of authorities and the public, for example via the GeoPortal.rlp, will also set standards in the area of eGovernment projects in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and among the participating municipalities.