A few days ago, using my social channels, I did a small survey by professional category with the aim of identifying needs, understanding if there is a real demand for data in Italy. The question was this:
Which PA data would you be comfortable obtaining with direct, unbureaucratized access to improve your work?
There were many responses and it was It was possible to identify strands and trends of unmet demand:
- vectorized cadastral data;
- ZIP code and related areas in vector form;
- current urban plans and their components in vector form and sources (vector or raster) with which they were drawn up;
- seismic microzonation maps in vector form (all three levels) and related sampling;
- DEM(DSM and DTM) with high resolution;
- geological maps in vector form;
- geognostic, isopyezic, lithological investigations;
- soil maps in vector form and sampling points with which they were generated.
There is request for the composite data passed to the PA but also for the raw data with which it is been accomplished. The purposes are quite clear and perfectly summarized in a comment:
"I am the technician appointed by Municipality I minimize disputes due to indices which, by changing, can degrade the commercial value of a property made for income, for example, by the owner."
I deliberately omitted any type of information that could in any way lead back to the technician who asked me to remain anonymous. The primary purpose is the scientific approach to the data, if I have a history of that analysis I have data with which to compare my calculations and therefore (secondary purpose) I can generate a better work which also allows me to emerge as a professional because it is increases the quality of my work.
I have deliberately put the scientific approach to the data in bold because it is there is this distortion in the world of Italian work whereby the scientific approach is the prerogative of the world of scientific research, but it is not like this! A professional, a company, are not mere executors of technical procedures imposed by current legislation; but they are figures who have learned and refined analytical skills during their training. It is wrong to rely on those who "yes, but the spreadsheet does the whole thing" or "yes, but the software does the calculations". It's wrong because it's the data must not only be obtained following a process but also understood!
Returning to the technician's comment earlier: without the previous and/or ancillary data he will do reasoning about truth partial and with those truths will calibrate its final elaborations. With all this what follows!
Last month I was contacted by a company who wanted to carry out an analysis on specific cadastral parcels, putting together building data, data on constraints and data relating to the individual municipal requirements of the area to which the company she was interested.
I was contacted after they already had did extensive research and wanted further discussion from a GIS industry expert.
It is said that the work of analyzing a piece of data ultimately amounts to 20% of the total time worked on that piece of data, because it is the remaining 80% is not analysis work but also normalization of the data. A preparatory work for the analysis therefore. But when the data isn't there or is very difficult (if not impossible!) to find, how do you do it?
I had a chat for almost an hour with the administrator of that company. and with his PM; more that a chat was an outlet on their part for the frustration they felt in having to make their employees do tasks by hand. which took up a lot of time and which, if the data were available, could be automated or otherwise completed in a tenth of the time. This would mean for the company an increase in business volumes, perhaps with a reduction in the cost of service to the end customer.
I don't know if you're familiar with the John Travolta meme from Palp Fiction in which the actor looks around bewildered. Yes it is returned like this so often about the lack of data and its poor quality (the few times it exists) that I felt just like John:
The lack of data effectively castrates entrepreneurial actions!
We do not claim to have the cadastral parcels with the owners' data and other sensitive data, but we claim to have available data purged of any sensitive data. Nothing strange, France does it with its Cadastre, in full compliance with INSPIRE!
We do not claim to know the habits of the inhabitants of building with which the Germans do it thanks to ALKIS, in compliance with INSPIRE, and not having to go through the bureaucratic journey from office to office in the hope of obtaining something useful.
Data creates development, development creates jobs, jobs generate well-being, well-being from more serenity allowing couples to bring children into the world, thus combating the phenomenon of the birthrate.