80th MIG-T meeting 2024-12-13

Extension of the INSPIRE MIWP

• The JRC introduced the proposed extension of the INSPIRE MIWP to 2025-2026, as already presented during the recent 19th MIG meeting on 28 Nov 2024 . The proposed extension is subject to endorsement by the MIG with a deadline on 20 Dec 2024.
• The MIWP covers the transition period until the new legal instrument to possibly update the existing INSPIRE Directive will be in place. Essentially, the MIWP keeps ongoing strands of work open by keeping, merging and/or closing the actions from the current MIWP; only one new action (3.2 GreenData4All transition) is proposed.

Actions 1.1 and Action 2.5. HVD and INSPIRE

• HVD and INSPIRE alignment
  • The JRC provided a quick summary about the status of the work in the ISO & GeoDCAT-AP Pilot. The main arrangements between participants took place during the kick-off meeting (02 Oct 2024), including a timeline to finish the work by the end of February 2025. A first evaluation of participants' progress was permormed during the second meeting of the pilot (20 Nov 2024).
  • All participants started the testing of the ISO-GeoDCAT XSLT transformation, some of them are also revising the GeoDCAT-AP v3 specification. Some participants already obtained the first preliminary results, and several highlights were shared with the MIG-T audience. As part of the work, several methods and tools for running the XSLT transformation, and examples of High-Value Datasets tagging in ISO metadata, were identified.
  • Synergies with the 'DCAT-AP schema plug-in integration in GeoNetwork' working group, led by Metadata Vlaanderen (BE), were established. In particular, an active collaboration on the identification and agreement of a High-Value Datasets tagging good practice candidate in ISO metadata. A final candidate good practice was shared by the Metadata Vlaanderen representive with the MIG-T, with the aim to initiate a potential endorsement process.
  • A poll to schedule the Third Meeting of the pilot in January will be send by 20 Dec 2024.

• MIG-T to initiate the process for a potential endorsement of the High-Value Datasets tagging good practice candidate in ISO metadata.

Action 2.3.1. Governance of artefacts

• INSPIRE artefacts (Updates and news / Overview of change proposals to TGs, schemas, UML models and INSPIRE Registry content)
  
  • All the change proposals discussed by the MIWP sub-group on 11 Nov 2024 were briefly presented; the following change proposals, approved by the sub-group, were then voted:
    
    • TGs: #192
    • Schemas and UML models: #131
    • INSPIRE Registry content: #28, #98, #99
  • MIG-T members approved the change proposals unanimously (see the poll results). The two-week objection period for MIG members will end on 27 Dec 2024.
  • The next release of artefacts (v2025.1) will take place on 31 Jan 2025 and will include changes to TGs, schemas, UML models and INSPIRE Registry content as endorsed by the MIG-T after this meeting.

• MIG-T members to share feedback on change proposal #172 for TGs (action still open from the 79th MIG-T Meeting).

Action 2.4 Central INSPIRE Components

• Preparation for M&R 2024
  • The JRC presented the process for executing the annual INSPIRE Monitoring & Reporting in 2024, including a description of the workflow, the indicators and the tools to be used to calculate them.
  • After the Link-Checker updates performed in November-December of 2024, the GeoNetwork-based INSPIRE Geoportal will be used for evaluating the indicator on accessibility. Details on these updates were described in the INSPIRE Geoportal presentation. These updates have been tested and deployed in the Sandbox and Production harvesting consoles. The business logic of the Link Checker is exactly the same as the scripts used for the monioring in 2023. Few refinements may still take place for getting more accurate results and make the most out of available metadata.
  • The SQL Monitoring and Reporting Tools will be use to calculate the indicators on dataset and service conformity.
  • The INSPIRE Reference Validator v.2024.3 released on 25 Sep 2024 and the Bulk Validation Tool v.2024.1.0 released on 12 Dec 2024 will be used to calculate the indicators on metadata conformity.
  • The JRC highlights the need to focus not on the numbers, but rather on improving data accessibility (especially for High-Value Datasets), and the actual usability of their infrastructures.
• ETF and Reference Validator
  • The INSPIRE Reference Validator v.2024.3 released on 25 Sep 2024 is the version to be used in the Monitoring and Reporting 2024.
  • This release is the first including all tests implementing the Good Practice on data-service linking simplification; it also removes the tests for MD Technical Guidelines v.1.3 and incorporates minor changes to the UI derived from the adoption of the Europa Component Library (ECL) v4.
  • MIG-T members were also reminded/informed about recent/upcoming URL changes:
    
    • Staging instance: User Interface / API (as of 9 August 2024);
    • Production instance: API, still accessible through a Gateway (under finalisation, will be ready as of January 2025);
  • Statistics on the use of the INSPIRE Reference Validator obtained from the dashboard were shared with the MIG-T.
• Re3gistry software and INSPIRE Registry 
  • Re3gistry software
    • The latest releases are v2.6.0 (June 2024) and v2.6.1 (September 2024).
    • The latest release (v2.6.1) included solutions to the issues listed here. These include changes to improve reliability and other specific improvements and bug fixes to increase robustness.

    • In 2025 and 2026, one release per year will take place. The release strategy will be accordingly adapted in January 2025.

  • INSPIRE Registry content
    • The INSPIRE Registry was migrated to the cloud in mid-November 2024, as the rest of INSPIRE components. This will provide an eased maintenance, portability and scalability.
    • The latest release of INSPIRE Registry content is v2024.2 (released at the end of July 2024); this release took place together with the release of the rest of INSPIRE artefacts.
    • The next release (v2025.1) is expected at the end of January 2025. It will include the corresponding change proposals endorsed in this meeting (details here).
• INSPIRE Geoportal
  • The JRC shared the latest news on the INSPIRE Geoportal.
    
    • Moldova and EUROSTAT were added to the frontend on 14 Oct 2024.
    • Regarding the backend, three updates of the GeoNetwork Link-Checker have been delivered during November and December, incoporating (i) the resolution of bugs in processing the protocol field (from the Online Resource), (ii) the implementation of relaxed checks for matching INSPIRE identifiers between the service and dataset/series metadata files, and (iii) a complete implementation of the Good Practice on data-service linking simplification.
    • As a result, several issues have been resolved in the geoportal helpdesk (e.g. #173, #178, #184).
    • Several refinements of the system are still taking place to run a smooth Monitoring and Reporting 2024.
    • The details to access the Sandbox harvesting console were shared again with the Member States / Countries.
    • Few Member States were reminded to duly update their list of National Catalogue Administrators (including both the Primary and Deputy roles), as discussed in the 78 MIG-T Meeting and the 79 MIG-T Meeting. At the moment, the updated information is missing for 3 Member States (LV, PL and SI). Some Member States (BR-Geo, BE-GeoBru, BG, CY, DE, IS and SE) were reminded to clarify the role (Primary or Deputy) for their catalogue administrators.

• Member States explicitly referred above to provide their list of INSPIRE Geoportal National Catalogue Administrators, including all the necessary details, through the ad-hoc survey tool.
  

News from EC services

• ENV
  • DG ENV provided an overview of the process for the possible revision of the INSPIRE Directive and the associated work for the collection of evidence through dedicated excahnges with contractors, as well as the open public consultation. An inclusive and transparent approach is to be followed, and MIG-T members are encouraged to provide feeback and comment on the policy options once they are made available.
  • Quantitative information on the costs and benefist related with the INSPIRE implementation would be much appreciated. Within that context, AT mentioned that such information is being collected in the country for both INSPIRE and HVD. Once finalised, this can be shared with the Commission.

• MIG-T members to provide to ENV information, if available, on the costs and benefits from the Implementation of INSPIRE.
  

• JRC
  • The JRC presented the recently published Science for policy Report titled Unlocking Green Deal Data: Innovative Approaches for Data Governance and Sharing in Europe. It includes research about several aspects of data sharing from the governance perspective (incentives and disincentives, data intermediaries, data altruism organisations, business data sharing, citizen-generated data and CARE principles) tailored to the context of environmental data.
  • The dates of the MIG-T meetings for 2025 were shared and made available in the INSPIRE Calendar:
    • 14 Feb 2025 
    • 27 Jun 2025 
    • 19 Sep 2025 
    • 12 Dec 2025