Column by Stefan Meierhans
Open data – the order of the day!
Almost everything in Switzerland is measured, recorded and spatially represented. If this data is required by law, it is referred to as basic geodata. These are mostly tax-financed, but 8 cantons opt out.
Published: 9 minutes ago
Stefan Meierhans, Price Supervisor
Chance has fewer chances in the 21st century than ever before. This makes our lives easier to plan, less risky and, of course, more efficient. Basic geodata make an important contribution here: Where does a construction zone begin and where does it end? Where do the water pipes go through? What landscape features are there? No problem at all: the data is available digitally from the cantons and can be easily downloaded. This is free of charge in most cantons and is therefore in line with the Federal Council’s strategy, which wants all data from federal agencies to be published openly, freely and in machine-readable form by 2020.
Unfortunately, there are cantons – namely Lucerne, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Thurgau, Obwalden, Nidwalden, Jura and Appenzell Ausserrhoden – that still charge fees for this and the range is obviously large.
Collecting and providing basic geodata are usually large projects that are financed in most cases with taxpayers’ money. That’s right, too, because we all benefit from it, at least indirectly.
Imagine you are a company and want to realize a construction project. For this you need various basic geodata, for example of the property or the terrain. If you need data from the canton of Bern, you can simply download them free of charge from the database. If, on the other hand, you want data from the canton of Lucerne, you will only receive this data for a fee.
This creates unequally long skewers and hurdles. In addition, the Federal Council’s “Open Government Data” strategy is being disregarded. Therefore, I will write to the cantons concerned and urge them to join the vast majority of cantons free of charge. Basic geodata are essential for many plans, decisions and projects. Their provision has the character of a public service and it should be the same for everyone.