Factors impeding the implementation of spatial data infrastructure in lower middle-income economies: A case study from Pakistan

The economy of a country has a direct impact on the development, provision, and management of information such as spatial information that refers to the location of objects on earth. Spatial information is considered vital in policy planning and economic decision-making. For standardization and sound decision making, spatial information such as geology, climate change, topographic needs to be assembled and shared through spatial data infrastructure (SDI) framework. Although SDIs are being implemented for the last four decades. However, their implementation is still challenging, especially in developing countries. The focus of the paper is to identify factors that impede SDI implementation in Lower-Middle-Income Economies (LMIEs), with emphasis on the case of Pakistan. The paper briefly presents the concept of SDI and the rationale for its development across the world. Then it reports on LMIEs along with their stages towards developing SDIs, concentrating on the issues met during the process of implementation. The case study of Pakistan is presented with emphasis on the range of challenges appearing during the implementation phase. To outline the challenges being faced in the implementation of NSDIs in Pakistan, the study makes use of a survey and subsequent semi-structured interviews with stakeholders of the NSDI. We find that the key factors hindering SDI implementation in LMIEs include, institutional, technical, and human-related issues. Overall, the paper addresses an important research gap and provides valuable insights into SDI implementation challenges in LMIEs. Finally, the findings of the case study are discussed, together with prospects for future research to structure policies for the support of the implementation of SDIs in LMIEs.