Exploring the Impact of a Spatial Data Infrastructure on Value-Added Resellers and Vice Versa

A spatial data infrastructure (SDI) is an evolving concept for facilitating, coordinating and monitoring the exchange and sharing of geospatial data and services. In earlier work, we developed a formal model for an SDI from the Enterprise, Information and Computational Viewpoints of the Reference Model for Open Distributed Processing. Within the Enterprise Viewpoint, we identified six stakeholders, including a Value-added Reseller (VAR), a stakeholder who adds value to an existing product or group of products, and then makes it available as a new product. A VAR is particularly important because they extend the usefulness of SDI products: high quality and useful VAR products help ensure continued funding by governments of publicly provided data. We engaged with various types of VAR around the world, to understand what encourages or inhibits VARs in an SDI, and the contributions VARs can make to an SDI. The results are described here.