An Urban Information System

Abstract

The paper describes the purpose behind, the structure and contents of the Urban Information
System (SIU) of the Spanish Housing Ministry this along with the technological groundings of the
same. The reason for its existence are here given as being a wish to promote the greatest clarity
as to all things appertaining to questions of land and the city in Spain, this by means of a coordinating
and making complimentary at all levels of public administration of material having to
do with such matters, the resulting information being then made compatible with all other
information systems. This sought after clarity is to be achieved by offering such contrastable yet
homogeneous information as to urban structuring as will make it possible for all to achieve an
overall understanding of Spain´s cities and Territory and likewise of their growth and transformation
possibilities. Co-ordination and Complimentariness for all administrating levels is to be achieved
thanks to the good agencies of SIU’s working group providing a common ground for promoting
technology and subjects for debate tailored to the needs of each circumstance and Autonomous
Region, the whole activity being underwritten by Collaboration Agreements as to SIU. Compatibility
with other systems is to be achieved by using standard common technologies in keeping with the
spirit of the INSPIRE European directive but specially reinforced ones in the city planning sphere
so as to cover their transposition to Spanish legal practice. The ultimate aim of all the foregoing is
that SIU might become a genuinely valuable infrastructure for all things having to do with city
referring urban data.