At the end of 2010, the German Data Forum (RatSWD) instituted the "Geocoding Data" Working Group, which began work in February 2011. In order to do justice to this interdisciplinary topic, the Working Group was arranged to include experts from numerous fields. These specialists are to analyze the current situation and needs of, as well as the development opportunities for, geocoding in Germany. Additionally, the Working Group is responsible for voicing the concerns and demands of those active in the field of data geocoding.
It is expected by the German Data Forum that the Working Group produces a decision-oriented report with practical suggestions for the development and use of geodata, in particular for scientific purposes, but also generally, by the end of 2011 / beginning of 2012.
For this reason, after having surveyed the existing important data collectors, suppliers, and users, as well as the prevailing legal and financial framework, the Working Group is to dedicate itself to the expected and targeted developments in the geocoding of data. The Working Group will also be assigned the task of investigating how the growing demand for spatial data may be met and how the use of geodata by science, citizens, and the economy may be improved.
The Working Group is based on a recommendation of the German Science Council from 2009 regarding the future work of the German Data Forum. This recommendation was subsequently adopted by the German Data Forum in 2010 in its own recommendations on improving and expanding the research data infrastructure for the social, behavioral, and economic sciences.
