Guidance

Geospatial Commission Charter

Published 15 June 2020

This Charter articulates the government’s commitment to the Geospatial Commission (“Commission”). It sets out the Commission’s purpose and its principal outputs, accountabilities and duties. The Charter also sets out the balance of responsibilities between the government and the Commission.

The UK has some of the best geospatial capability in the world. The Commission will champion and elevate this strength by being a thought leader that coordinates the generation and facilitates the use of domestic geospatial data, products and services across the private and public sectors.

It will be the UK’s geospatial guiding mind, responsible for the UK’s geospatial strategy aimed at unlocking billions of pounds of annual economic growth and consolidating the UK’s position as the best place in the world to start and grow a data driven business. The Commission will demonstrate innovative solutions to identify strategic challenges and accelerate delivery of economic, social and environmental benefits derived from geospatial data.

It will bring together data producers, particularly those in the public sector, to make the production and access to data more coordinated, useful and seamless. It will engage with the private sector with the full support of government.

1. Remit and purpose of the Commission

The Commission is an enduring, impartial entity that will set the UK’s geospatial strategy and promote the best use of geospatial data to drive productivity, promote economic growth and improve the delivery of public services, while safeguarding considerations such as national security and intellectual property rights.

The overarching objectives of the Commission are to increase economic growth and improve social and environmental outcomes by:

• Setting cross-cutting geospatial strategy, policy and data standards;
• Promoting competition within markets for geospatial data, products and services;
• Improving accessibility, interoperability and quality of data; and
• Improving capability, skills and resources to support the growth of new and existing geospatial businesses and improve public services.

It will do this by:

• Demonstrating best practice engagement with the private and public sectors, including local authorities and front line services, to inform policy and improve productivity;
• Acting as coordinator within government for access to geospatial expertise, enabling public sector users of geospatial data to become more intelligent customers;
• Promoting the quality and the integrity of the UK’s geospatial data;
• Promoting the success of organisations that produce and provide such data, championing the role they play in government and society;
• Increasing the number of data sets that are open and accessible for use by the public and small business in particular;
• Promoting the role of geospatial data in maximising value for the taxpayer by improving policy making and the delivery of public services;
• Working with government departments and partner organisations to ensure that geospatial data production is coordinated with minimal duplication of effort and information; and
• Using the resources available to the Commission to support and develop innovative approaches to geospatial data use in conjunction with the public and private sectors.

2. Compact between ministers and the Commission

Providing the Commission (as defined in the Framework Document) acts in accordance with its Framework Document with government (which sets out its operating principles), ministers commit to supporting the work of the Commission by:

• Giving the Commission freedom to deliver against its objectives, once the geospatial strategy has been adopted as government policy;
• Undertaking not to interfere with its day-to-day decision making and recommendations around geospatial matters;
• Supporting the Commission in influencing or resolving conflicting interests amongst public and private sector providers or holders of geospatial data sets, especially where these organisations lie beyond the Commission’s direct locus;
• Allowing the Commission to freely report and make recommendations to government and the private sector;
• Issuing a formal response to all the recommendations contained in the Commission’s reports, stating clearly whether the government accepts or rejects the recommendations.

The government will publicly respond within three months;

• Giving reasons where it disagrees with the Commission’s recommendations, and where appropriate providing an alternative proposal for meeting the identified need; and
• Sharing relevant information with the Commission and responding to reasonable requests for new analysis to support the Commission’s work in a timely manner, including information not in the public domain and that held by Public Bodies.

3. Revision of the Charter

The Commission, members of the Ministerial Steering Group and Devolved Administrations can propose changes to the Charter.

Changes will be made in consultation with the Commission, Partner Bodies, the Ministerial Steering Group, and the Devolved Administrations and ultimately approved by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster/ Minister for Cabinet Office as chair of the Ministerial Steering Group for the Commission.

It is expected that this Charter will only be changed in exceptional circumstances.