Valuing the Invaluable: A Geoinformation Conundrum (2011)

This presentation was made at the INSPIRE conference in 2011. It makes several observations on the difficulties of valuing geospatial information:

• Data has different values to different users at different times
• Value is generated at multiple points in an often-complex value chain

It discusses why it may be necessary to value geodata:

• To inform decision makers
• To determine a price for selling such data

Part of the conundrum being whether it is the data itself or the service built using the data that adds value.  A navigation application is used to illustrate the problem. Two recent studies are used to illustrate approaches to valuation:

• Danish Address Study
• Local Government Economic Value study for England and Wales

The presentation concludes:

• When trying to assign value to geodata or related services – talk to the funding body to see what is of most importance to them
• The ‘frame of reference’ of a decision maker will have a direct impact on how they perceive the value of geodata or services
• If trying to satisfy a mandatory requirement, use traditional CBA methodologies (of which there are many!) to investigate the least costly approach