Licensing Geographic Data and Services

Geographic data are used in all sectors of society to support a huge range of applications ranging from emergency response to land-use planning to location-based services. In the past, government agencies typically acquired ownership of such data from private-sector and other data producers and distributed these data without restriction. Licensing—whereby the producer may restrict redistribution—has emerged as an alternative business model that agencies must now consider among a suite of procurement options. The report highlights licensing perspectives and experiences of major stakeholder groups and examines the pros and cons of licensing. It concludes that licensing may be a viable option in some instances and advises agencies on how to best serve societal interests. Table of Contents


Front Matter
Executive Summary
1 Introduction
2 Society's Goals
3 The Geographic Data Market: Offerings, Players, and Methods of Exchange
4 Experiences of Government in Licensing Geographic Data From and To the Private Sector
5 Legal Analysis
6 Economic Analysis
7 The Public Interest
8 Licensing Decisions and Strategies
9 New Institutions
10 Recommendations
Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
Appendix B: List of Contributors
Appendix C: Digital Geographic Data Available in the United States
Appendix D: Selected Licensing Models, Selected Licensing Alternatives, and Clearview Contract
Appendix E: Glossary
Appendix F: List of Acronyms