The Azores are one of the advanced regions of the country at the level of the application of community directive INSPIRE through the IDEiA - Interactive Spatial Data Infrastructure of the Azores, a Geographic Information System (GIS) with multiple applications.

This platform offers several possibilities in various fields, through the standardisation of geographic information data, which is available online for citizens and public entities.

The Regional Secretary for Science, Technology and Infrastructures presided over the public presentation of the portal and the Regional Legislative Decree (DLR) implementing IDEiA in Ponta Delgada today. The government official highlighted the usefulness and modernity of this platform, particularly for "those in the areas of mapping, spatial planning and geo-referencing; those concerned with civil protection issues that can access the Region's mapping; and for all those who plan specific actions for certain areas of the territory."

The Portuguese Geographic Institute recognised the progress and quality of the work developed in this field and is considering the possibility of adopting GeMA (Azores Metadata Manager) as a national metadata editor, thus acknowledging its quality and operability.

According to Community directive, IDEiA platform will bring into line geographic information data from various sources, including the regional public administration, municipalities as well as other bodies and entities. Furthermore, this initiative also intends to define a series of procedures and access rules for citizens, companies and public entities "so that the information may be duly processed for further use," stated the government official.

José Contente also stressed that the legislation safeguards all issues concerning public law and individual rights, especially in terms of individual and intellectual property as provided by law. This platform collects and processes "geographic information data, public information that may be disclosed."

The DLR proposal has already been submitted to the Legislative Assembly of the Azores and should be analysed and discussed during the plenary session scheduled for September.