The map, published by the Texas Tribune, shows cities that are projected to run out of water within six months due to the continuing drought. Used with permission.

|
|
The map, published by the Texas Tribune, shows cities that are projected to run out of water within six months due to the continuing drought. Used with permission.

Is it time for a global licensing framework for geospatial data? The GSDI Legal and Economic Working group thinks so and offered a presentation and a way forward at the GSDI 13 conference held in Quebec City in May. The effort aims to harmonize existing licensing without changing fundamental access policies and funding models and be compatible with the diferences in national legal systems. That's a tall order, but an important one as the world moves toward geodata sharing. Geoff Zeiss reports.