1 Beyond Spatial Data Infrastructures there are no SDIs – so what

What might Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) look like in 2016? The long-term trend seems to be three-fold. First, SDI will loose its distinctiveness and its spatial functionalities become integral part of information infrastructure in general. Second, information infrastructures – including SDI for the time being – become integrated into governance rather than being mere providers of data and information. It also means that the scope for information infrastructure is beyond the narrow and traditional limits of the state. Third, the design, implementation and use of information infrastructure are different at different levels of governance because space is conceived of differently at these levels. If possible at all, prerequisite for understanding these longer-term trends is the understanding of the dynamics of the present. In other words, what is muddling through in these complex relationships in governance? For instance, what are the intricate interactions between governance at different levels and information infrastructure? What role space plays in the various processes of governance? In particular at lower-levels of governance are these questions challenging but hardly addressed till now. How to communicate, debate and integrate perceptions of reality between different actors at local-level within the other levels of governance? Understanding short and longer-term trends requires a genuine socio-technical research agenda in its own right beyond positivism