Final Report Summary - BRIDGE2GEO (Bridging innovation-driven GIS research and development to create a GEO-Society)
In WP2 (Studies and analyses) a detailed report was compiled which included SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analyses for the three topics geodata, technology trends and mechanism.
WP3 (Strategies and alliances) concentrated on organising activities (meetings, trade-fair participations, workshops, discussion forums etc.) within the four business sectors (energy, health, trade/retail and tourism) and the European initiative GMES to enhance and facilitate the development of interdisciplinary strategic networks, the core and the heart of BRIDGE2GEO. Altogether nearly 70 activities were carried out addressing stakeholders and interest groups, companies and service providers, technical groups, different administrative levels and the public at large.
New contacts and new markets could be established and the cooperation between (a) SMEs, (b) research institutions, (c) SMEs and research institutions and (d) SMEs, research institutions and regional authorities within the regions as well as between them could be improved. Based on the experiences within the strategic networking RTD and business strategies were defined to guarantee future inter-exchange between the GI-discipline and the selected sectors and deepen the existing cooperation in the GI sector of the two regions.
Furthermore a research agenda for both project regions was formulated which describes strategies for future research activities in order to enable better integration of SMEs and strengthen the innovation capacity and competitiveness of the GI sector in the regions.
In WP 4 (Integration) the outcome of the five selected sectors was integrated into regional strategy plans for RTD and business and perspectives ('Leitbild') for each project region were developed. In Salzburg a workshop with an external moderator was carried out to formulate the 'Leitbild' for Salzburg and to set up a first draft of the joint action plan. The 'Leitbild' for the two regions will lead to enhanced competitiveness of single SMEs and the whole region within the GI sector.
Beside these main activities WP4 also addressed in addition to the five selected industry sectors one topic of both, regional and international importance: spatial data infrastructure (SDI). A first major expert round table was conducted in May 2009 in Salzburg where the BRIDGE2GEO consortium invited representatives from the public sector, actors of the economic and scientific communities as well as other actors within the GIS sector to a one day event in Salzburg with the objective to launch a consultation process for the SDI topic between all parties involved.
In WP5 (Dissemination) a website (see http://www.bridge2geo.eu online) has been developed to attract local, regional offices and non-RTD partners. For internal communication and exchange of project documents a Wiki has been set up. The project logo was used in all dissemination activities, which were carried out on regional, national and international level. Due to the great success of BRIDGE2GEO it was decided to register the label as trademark for further anchoring the two regions' expertise in geoinformatics in promising economic domains.
Work in this WP also included the preparation of a report on 'exploitation and dissemination' as well as a report on 'awareness and wider societal implications'. In fact, it can be expected that many direct and indirect long-term impacts can make a particular portion of the total effects of this support action. It is still too early to estimate the long-term effects but it can clearly be stated that the regions have been growing together and potential markets have been successfully explored.
During the lifetime of BRIDGE2GEO the project partners in Salzburg and NRW have elaborated several other project proposals under regional, national as well as EU programme schemes and already developed special interdisciplinary pilot studies (e.g. on wood energy), which will open up new fields with a substantial economic and societal impact.
WP3 (Strategies and alliances) concentrated on organising activities (meetings, trade-fair participations, workshops, discussion forums etc.) within the four business sectors (energy, health, trade/retail and tourism) and the European initiative GMES to enhance and facilitate the development of interdisciplinary strategic networks, the core and the heart of BRIDGE2GEO. Altogether nearly 70 activities were carried out addressing stakeholders and interest groups, companies and service providers, technical groups, different administrative levels and the public at large.
New contacts and new markets could be established and the cooperation between (a) SMEs, (b) research institutions, (c) SMEs and research institutions and (d) SMEs, research institutions and regional authorities within the regions as well as between them could be improved. Based on the experiences within the strategic networking RTD and business strategies were defined to guarantee future inter-exchange between the GI-discipline and the selected sectors and deepen the existing cooperation in the GI sector of the two regions.
Furthermore a research agenda for both project regions was formulated which describes strategies for future research activities in order to enable better integration of SMEs and strengthen the innovation capacity and competitiveness of the GI sector in the regions.
In WP 4 (Integration) the outcome of the five selected sectors was integrated into regional strategy plans for RTD and business and perspectives ('Leitbild') for each project region were developed. In Salzburg a workshop with an external moderator was carried out to formulate the 'Leitbild' for Salzburg and to set up a first draft of the joint action plan. The 'Leitbild' for the two regions will lead to enhanced competitiveness of single SMEs and the whole region within the GI sector.
Beside these main activities WP4 also addressed in addition to the five selected industry sectors one topic of both, regional and international importance: spatial data infrastructure (SDI). A first major expert round table was conducted in May 2009 in Salzburg where the BRIDGE2GEO consortium invited representatives from the public sector, actors of the economic and scientific communities as well as other actors within the GIS sector to a one day event in Salzburg with the objective to launch a consultation process for the SDI topic between all parties involved.
In WP5 (Dissemination) a website (see http://www.bridge2geo.eu online) has been developed to attract local, regional offices and non-RTD partners. For internal communication and exchange of project documents a Wiki has been set up. The project logo was used in all dissemination activities, which were carried out on regional, national and international level. Due to the great success of BRIDGE2GEO it was decided to register the label as trademark for further anchoring the two regions' expertise in geoinformatics in promising economic domains.
Work in this WP also included the preparation of a report on 'exploitation and dissemination' as well as a report on 'awareness and wider societal implications'. In fact, it can be expected that many direct and indirect long-term impacts can make a particular portion of the total effects of this support action. It is still too early to estimate the long-term effects but it can clearly be stated that the regions have been growing together and potential markets have been successfully explored.
During the lifetime of BRIDGE2GEO the project partners in Salzburg and NRW have elaborated several other project proposals under regional, national as well as EU programme schemes and already developed special interdisciplinary pilot studies (e.g. on wood energy), which will open up new fields with a substantial economic and societal impact.
