GeoRhena
GeoRhena is a cross-border geographic information system that operates in the area of the Upper Rhine Conference , namely the French departments of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin , part of the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate and the Swiss cantons of Basel-Stadt , Basel-Landschaft , Aargau , Solothurn and Jura .
GeoRhena collects, compiles and harmonizes various thematic data of the Upper Rhine in order to create static and interactive maps using a geoportal . The system is bilingual (German and French).
Origin and function
GeoRhena is the successor to the geographic information system of the Upper Rhine (GISOR).
In 1998 the German-French-Swiss Upper Rhine Conference (ORK) commissioned its “Spatial Planning” working group to develop cartographic planning bases for its mandate area. The gradual implementation of the proposals began in 2000 thanks to a new committee of experts.
The GeoRhena expert committee today consists of representatives from various state and planning bodies that are tied to the Upper Rhine Conference, as well as co-financiers from the three member countries. The project sponsorship is taken over by the Conseil départemental du Haut-Rhin .
Since its establishment, GeoRhena has received financial support from the European Union several times from ERDF funds and the INTERREG Upper Rhine program . GeoRhena has only been functioning since July 2018 thanks to the funding of its eleven partners.
GeoRhena is now organized as a competence center. It is a facility that is specifically responsible for the problem-free usability of data collections and the creation of maps. The competence center consists of a technical and an organization department.
aims
Cross-border spatial observation
With its work, GeoRhena provides decision-making aids and enables national, regional and local development and planning policy to be integrated into a cross-border perspective and vice versa.
Through the targeted recording of the changes occurring in the Upper Rhine area, a coherent and sustainable overall picture can be developed for the relevant territories using GeoRhena. This work serves u. a. as a basis for strategic planning documents of various kinds, as well as the revision and update of the spatial planning orientation framework of the spatial planning working group of the Upper Rhine Conference.
Public relations, information policy and data sharing
GeoRhena, as the cross-border geoinformatics competence center of the Upper Rhine, is also able to respond to further requests for the compilation of cross-border data and thematic maps.
The data and maps are provided free of charge by the GeoRhena Geoportal and cover a very broad spectrum of spatially relevant topics (demography, labor market, environment, energy, transport, tourism, security, agriculture ...). The geoportal thus makes a significant contribution to increasing the visibility of the Upper Rhine.
Interoperability and expert networking
The works produced are on specific subjects and these activities are numerous; however, difficulties still arise. There are problems with accessing the data (due to legal and technical differences between states, restrictive usage rights, etc.) and with the harmonization of spatial data; this slows down the creation of maps. That is why the experts continue to work in a network on data-related interoperability, with regard to the dissemination of geographical data and, above all, with regard to the further development of this system in the service of cross-border cooperation, in accordance with the European INSPIRE directive on the requirement of data exchange within the European Union.
The close cooperation of the experts also simplifies cross-border coordination and promotes a mutual understanding of the different systems.
Perspectives
GeoRhena collaborates with other projects in Europe, including the Greater Region Geographical Information System (SIG-GR), which was set up between France , Germany , Luxembourg and Belgium .