Prospective on data sharing network, technical standards and software platform in the HKH region

There have been considerable growth in awareness of Geographic Information System (GIS) in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region, and there are initiatives underway for developing regional Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs). Such infrastructures are being advocated to fulfill the gaps in data standards, data sharing protocols and software platform so that resources can be saved from duplications and societies can benefit from easy access to data. These initiatives include sharing of data such as basic geographic map, socio-economic data, environmental or disaster related data etc. These activities advance scientific discovery and help decision makers to tackle problems caused by global climate change, promote regional sustainable development and better the lives of people living in this region. However, harmonizing data at various levels and across different disciplines is challenging as these data platforms are usually heterogeneous and lack inter-connection. Activities of cross-border data sharing is not well implemented, its sharing practice requires unique technical standards and specific software platforms. China has growing interests to participate in data sharing activities in HKH region, an initiative was set up to conduct pilot researches to promote HKH region data sharing. One of the components of this initiative is to build a HKH region data sharing network (platform) in close collaboration with International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and other related agencies in the region. This paper mainly focuses on the technical aspect, study on the technical standards and software platform selection in the process of building the network. It reviews relating data sharing network across the world and in HKH region. The study believes that the emergence and maturity of open source software and service models reduced the difficulty in constructing platform for data sharing. Open source software is open, flexible, and low cost and supports a number of technical standards; it provides tools and methods for jointly building cross-border and inter-agency data sharing network. Therefore, in terms of technical standards and platform architecture, GeoNetwork Open source is applicable for data sharing in HKH region. This paper discusses the framework, technologies, core function of the network, and then reviews key points in platform customizing and developing based on GeoNetwork. The work provides a common framework for regional data sharing and exchange.