The rapid development of communication and computing technology is changing the way scientific information is created, disseminated, managed, and used. A new scientific information infrastructure is emerging, one that enables unprecedented access to distributed information resources along with electronic peer to peer communication. Geographic information scientists are likely to be at the forefront of this new infrastructure with the development of globally integrated geospatial digital libraries. These geo libraries promise to boost scientific innovation, productivity, and returns on investment. They also pose technical and organizational interoperability challenges that must be resolved. A research agenda examining the integrated technical and organizational dimensions of interoperability for geographic information is needed. Such research would advance the development of digital libraries, federated databases, and geospatial data infrastructures.

Technical and Organizational Interoperability Challenges in Geoprocessing

The interoperability issues of the geographic information community are both technical and organizational in nature. As defined by Litwin (1990), and paraphrased by the UCGIS: "interoperability generally refers to a bottom-up integration of pre-existing systems and applications that were not intended to be integrated but are systematically combined to address problems that require multiple DBMS and application programs" (UCGIS 1996, p. 1). As the importance of sharing information across organizational computing environments is recognized, data interoperability becomes paramount. Effective communication and transfer of geographic information requires that organizations resolve interoperability of data models and components across organizational boundaries and applications. Organizations have evolved their own systems, legacy databases, and applications to serve internal needs. This has resulted in data models and applications uniquely tailored to meet specific internal requirements.

The interoperability of geographic information across systems and platforms is also an organizational issue. Traditionally, government geospatial data suppliers have operated under centralized and hierarchical organizational structures to serve bounded communities of users with unique semantic and conceptual requirements (e.g. military, resource agencies, transportation agencies). This hierarchical framework has resulted in closed, proprietary, and centralized geoprocessing services. Increasingly, however, there is an urgent need to access distributed information from many organizations to address boundary-spanning problems such as: disaster relief, environmental monitoring, interagency coordination, joint force deployment, and provision of integrated geospatial mapping services over the Internet. The need to enable information exchange across between hierarchical tiers and across organizational boundaries calls for a better understanding of intertwined technical and organizational processes.

Digital Libraries as Interoperable Organization Systems

Access to information across organizational boundaries is enabled by distributed computing. But distributed computing, alone, cannot support the complex assortment of machine and human interactions that will be increasingly needed. Interoperability between organizations requires organizational planning that is consistent with technical opportunities and constraints, and vice versa.

Digital libraries provide a meaningful framework for integrating information resources and competencies from multiple organizations to deliver a synergistic service that is greater than its parts (Lopez 1997). They can play an instrumental role in overcoming current impediments to interoperability, by harmonizing the transfer of open geospatial data. The concept of "digital library," however, must be clarified before being used further. A digital library is defined as a coordinated set of interoperable actors/organizations which interact along an electronic and communication network to develop, add-value, disseminate, and archive electronic information and related services. It is characterized by flexibility, decentralized planning and control, and lateral and vertical ties within and across organizations. The chief structural characteristic of a digital library is a high degree of integration across formal boundaries.

Open data models can reduce transaction costs, stimulate component generation, and provide a standard platform for new components and applications. Contractual arrangements and hierarchical rules also facilitate data interchange between the geo library and suppliers and the geo library and clients. However, open data standards and communication protocols alone, may not provide needed flexibility to respond to changing internal and external requirements. A framework to guide necessary interorganizational interactions is necessary to carry out common objectives and establish consistent work processes. Digital libraries are emerging as a combined technical and organizational framework to enable the integration of digital assets across institutional boundaries and geographic space.

Research Agenda for Interoperable Geospatial Digital Libraries

We must begin to examine leading institutions deploying digital libraries for geospatial and related scientific information. In particular, a better understanding of the interlocking technical and organizational factors underpinning ongoing digital library initiatives is needed. Focus should be placed on examining the leading developments in the United States, Europe and Japan. Specific objectives include:

There has been limited prior research on digital library interoperability issues. Case studies are an ideal method for providing rich contextual information that is important at this stage. An objective of the case study research is to investigate alternative technical frameworks for addressing digital library interoperability challenges. A second objective is to identify the organizational and interorganizational structures adopted to support these network enterprises. Empirical work is needed to generate testable hypotheses and to advance digital library research to the next level of inquiry. Since the proposed research agenda involves a novel area of research, primary emphasis should be placed on the exploration of technical architectures, processes, and contexts leading to successful digital library operations, as well as lessons learned from less successful initiatives.

Significance of Research Agenda

Comparative research and theory-building for digital libraries is still in its formative stages. To understand the technical and institutional dimension of digital libraries, there is an immediate need to study them in action. Case study techniques and institutional analysis can be used to identify the technical and organizational factors which contribute to successful implementation and management of digital libraries for scientific information. Since the proposed work is exploratory, undertaking comprehensive analysis of digital library testbeds is appropriate at this time. The research can provide a baseline to support future work in this area.

The research will contribute to a growing body of knowledge needed by organizations embarking on digital library initiatives. The results of the agenda can sketch a state-of-the-art picture of the fast-breaking developments in this area, while advancing conceptual frameworks that inform ongoing implementation efforts. From the knowledge gained, it will be possible to begin examining a range of institutional incentives, organizational configurations, and specific capital budgeting frameworks likely to enhance the success of digital library efforts. Studies should provide recommendations for further refinement of the research methods, implications of various institutional frameworks, and indications for future research. The overall research agenda can serve as a roadmap for digital library interoperability scientific data, and to broader efforts underway in a variety of disciplinary areas. The knowledge generated will directly contribute to a growing stream of literature on digital libraries that is moving toward deeper levels of analysis, characterized by specific explanatory models connected to broader conceptual frameworks.

References

Buehler, Kurt and McKee, Lance. (editors) 1996. The Open GIS Guide, The OGIS Project Technical Committee, Open GIS Consortium, Inc.

Lopez, Xavier R. 1997. "The Network as Organization: Digital Libraries for Spatial Information." Proceedings of the First Assembly and Retreat of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) held in Bar Harbor, ME June 15-20.

UCGIS. 1996. Interoperability of Geographic Information, Research Initiative of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS).

URL: http://www.ucigs.org/