6.4.22.4 Administrative units

From Geostandards

The current version of the data specification is version 3.0. The document is available here.

This page currently contains the executive summary from the data specification document:

Administrative units are included in Annex I, which means that they are considered as reference data, i.e. data that constitute the spatial frame for linking to and/or pointing at other information that belong to specific thematic fields such as the environment and socio-economic statistics, alongside many others.

INSPIRE data specification on administrative units has been prepared following the participative principle of a consensus building process. The stakeholders, based on their registration as a Spatial Data Interest Community (SDIC) or a Legally Mandated Organisation (LMO) had the opportunity to bring forward user requirements and reference materials, propose experts for the specification’s development, and to participate in reviewing and testing the data specifications. The Thematic Working Group responsible for the specification development was composed of experts from Belgium, Germany, Norway, Poland and Sweden.

The specification process took place according to the methodology elaborated for INSPIRE respecting the requirements and the recommendation of the INSPIRE Generic Conceptual Model, which is one of the elements that ensures a coherent approach and cross-theme consistency with other themes in the Directive.

During the specification development, the Thematic Working Group has considered widely the achievements of the EuroBoundaryMap product, which already achieved considerable results in harmonising administrative unit data held by the National Mapping and Cadastral Agencies of Europe.

According to the definition of the Directive, administrative units are “units of administration dividing areas where Member States have and/or exercise jurisdictional rights for local, regional and national governance, separated by administrative boundaries”. Based on the reference materials and the user requirements, the Thematic Working Group has added some other fundamental aspects like the hierarchical structure of administrative units and the relations with statistical units that have already been defined and in use within the EU-administration.

Administrative units in INSPIRE play the role of generic information locators. Their main uses include searching/filtering other spatial data based on a name or code, linking/publishing thematic information in a rapid and comparable way finding competent authorities e.g. in case of disasters, for environmental protection, etc.

In addition administrative units may provide the frame for a boundary-based analysis of consistency of spatial objects (similar classification, geometrical matching) as required in Art. 8(4) and 10(2) of the Directive.

The core element of the model is the administrative unit represented by a surface geometry. In accordance with the Directive, each administrative unit carries a unique identifier. Administrative units are further described by their geographical name, the country of location, the national administrative code, and the hierarchical level within the administrative structure of the country. This information is completed, if available, with the life cycle information (when the administrative unit has been inserted or changed in the dataset, and when it has been (if ever) superseded or retired in the spatial data set), the name of the corresponding national level and the residence of the administrative authority.

The administrative division of the Members States follows a hierarchical structure where the lowest level units (often communes) are united in higher level units (like provinces, counties, etc) that compose other units at a higher level. It must be ensured that an administrative unit of an upper level is composed of one or more administrative units of a lower level. Lowest level administrative units are further characterised by their geometry and, where available, by the corresponding local administrative unit code. A special spatial object type called condominium has been introduced for describing independent administrative areas that are administered by two or more countries.

Administrative units are separated by administrative boundaries that are specified as lines. As a mandatory property they carry an identifier, information on the country, the legal and technical status of the boundary, and the administrative hierarchic level. These are complemented, when available, with life cycle information.

One of the most important fields where administrative units are extensively used at the European level is statistics. In order to show the link between these fields, lower level administrative units are linked to the regions established and approved according to the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) by the Statistical Office of the European Community.

In the INSPIRE administrative unit data specification, there are no mandatory quality requirements. However it is recommended that Member States provide the data at the source accuracy where possible targeting a minimal positional accuracy of 50 meters. The actual values of data quality elements (omission, topological and conceptual consistency, positional, thematic, and temporal accuracy) have to be published as metadata, when they are available.

Interoperability is further supported by a common reference system and provisions for visualisation. For the latter, simple rules for default portrayal are given in specifying the colour and the line-width of the borders of the administrative units and administrative boundaries, as well as the font and size of the labels. Moreover, l the default portrayal elements reflect the hierarchy of the represented spatial objects.

The main value of the INSPIRE administrative units model is it is a simple, yet flexible structure that allows data providers to publish their existing data in the most convenient way. It is also expected that the specification will give a firm starting point for the related spatial data themes in Annex III of INSPIRE.

As INSPIRE Administrative units data specification is the result of a detailed analysis of user requirements and strong consideration of existing initiatives that went beyond the strictly environmental scope, it is expected that it will also be a solid element of a multi-purpose European spatial data infrastructure.

← previous

Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE)

next →