The fragmentation of administrative boundaries is a serious problem in the analysis of social, environmental and economic data. This research focuses on the development of a coordinated approach to the design of administrative boundaries that endeavours to support accurate decision making. Around the world, administrative boundaries have been structured in an uncoordinated manner, limiting data exchange and integration between organisations. The solution proposed in this research adopts the hierarchical reorganisation of administrative boundaries to enhance data integration and data exchange within the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) framework.The SDI is an initiative intended to facilitate access to complete and consistent data sets. One of the most fundamental problems restricting the objectives of the SDI is the fragmentation of data between non-coterminous boundary systems. The majority of administrative boundaries have been constructed by individual agencies to meet individual needs. Examples of the proliferation of different boundary systems include postcodes, census-collector districts, health districts and police districts. Due to the lack of coordination between boundary systems, current technologies for analysing spatial data, such as geographic information systems (GIS), are not reaching their full potential. A review of the current literature reveals that, until now, little has been done to solve this problem.The prototype developed within this research provides a new mechanism for the design of administrative boundaries. The prototype incorporates two algorithms. These are based on HSR theory and administrative-agency constraints and are implemented within the GIS environment. Such an approach is an example of the potential that is available when we link spatial information theory with the SDI framework and disciplinary knowledge.

Address data within geographic information systems (GIS) is used as reference data to link personal and administrative information, thus making it possible to locate and deliver goods and services to eligible persons. Preferably, every country must develop and maintain a single national address database (NAD) to eliminate data redundancy and provide a common point of reference across the board. In South Africa, the challenge is that there are separate address databases, which are developed and maintained by various public and private organizations – with little or no cooperation on data sharing. Currently, the establishment of a Committee for Spatial Information (CSI) which is tasked with the implementation of the South African Spatial Data Infrastructure (SASDI) and the publication of the South African Address Standard (SANS 1883) offer organizations an opportunity to collaborate towards the creation of a single address dataset. This research posits that the implementation of a successful data sharing initiative depends on the understanding of motivators and barriers of organizations participating in it. The research applied the case study method – with a semi-structured questionnaire – to assess the issues that motivate or obstruct GIS data sharing among three address organizations in South Africa. The results identified significant motivators that underlie the data sharing activities, e.g. reduced cost of data collection, improved data quality; and equally identified significant barriers that make organizations reluctant to enter into a data sharing initiative, e.g. data copyright and ownership, high staff-turnover, and lack of financial and technical resources. Although the case studies focused on address data in South Africa, the research findings can equally apply to other spatial datasets and are relevant for the successful implementation of the South African Spatial Data Infrastructure (SASDI). / Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Computer Science / Unrestricted

Fundamentale Voraussetzung für alle professionellen Kartendienste ist die Möglichkeit zur Kontrolle der grafischen Präsentation. Aus diesem Grund besteht ein starker Bedarf an der visuellen Darstellung von Geodaten. Diese transformiert rohe Informationen in wichtige und entscheidungstragende Werkzeuge. Der Feature Portrayal Service (FPS) hat die Aufgabe, diese Anforderungen umzusetzen und damit wesentlich zur kartographischen Interoperabilität in Geodateninfrastrukturen beizutragen. Der Dienst entstammt dem internationalen Standard SLD 1.1.0 (Styled Layer Descriptor). Es handelt sich um einen Darstellungsdienst, der die interoperable Nutzung von Vektor-Daten, also von so genannten Features, ermöglicht. Dieser spezielle Web Map Service hat die Aufgabe, Geodaten von beliebigen Web Feature Services sowie rohe GML-Daten in einer gewünschten grafischen Ausprägung zu präsentieren. Dabei ist der jeweilige Nutzer in der Lage, eigene Darstellungen zu definieren und auf einen beliebigen Datenbestand anzuwenden. Datenquellen, Darstellungsvorschriften und der Feature Portrayal Service selbst sind insofern unabhängig voneinander, dass diese drei Komponenten auf verschiedenen und voneinander unabhängigen Servern liegen können. Diese Art der Implementierung bezeichnet man als Component WMS.