Workshops Held Before and After the "SDI FBiH Days" Conference in Sarajevo

As part of activities aimed at improving the Spatial Data Infrastructure of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, thematic workshops on metadata standards, interoperability, and quality control in the process of spatial data collection were held on 23 and 25 September 2026 at the Hotel Austria & Bosna in Ilidža. The workshops were organized as part of activities related to the "SDI FBiH Days" conference, with the aim of exchanging expert knowledge, presenting good practices, and strengthening capacities for the further development of the SDI in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The first workshop, titled "Technical Workshop on Metadata Standards," was held on 23 September and was dedicated to the importance of metadata in establishing and developing an interoperable spatial data infrastructure. Through the topics "Introduction to SDI and Metadata" and "ISO Standards and Metadata Quality," participants became familiar with the basic principles and standards that enable a high-quality and consistent description of spatial data. The workshop continued with topics on spatial data sets and data set series, as well as spatial data services, with an emphasis on their importance for the availability, understanding, and exchange of data.

On the same day, the workshop "Good Practice Examples and Interoperability in the Management of Spatial Data and Network Services" was also held, focusing on European approaches to interoperability and their practical application. The workshop presented the European Interoperability Framework and EU data spaces, along with a review of their importance for connecting data, systems, and institutions. Special attention was given to the FAIR principles, as well as to OGC web services, including WMS, WFS, WCS, and Atom, and the OGC API. Through examples of use in the SDI FBiH and Croatia, participants had the opportunity to learn about the possibilities of applying standardized solutions for the exchange and use of spatial data.

The third workshop, titled "Quality Control in the Process of Data Collection, Practical Application of SDI in the Federation of BiH," was held on 25 September and was dedicated to quality control in the process of spatial data collection and the practical application of spatial data infrastructure in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After an introductory presentation of the GeoConnect project and the objectives of the workshop, participants reviewed the previously covered topic of spatial data quality management. The central part of the workshop was devoted to presenting the Quality Control Advisory Framework and its practical application.

Through group work, participants considered ways of implementing the proposed framework, and the results were presented and discussed with a view to its further development. The workshop concluded with the agreement on the final elements of the framework and the definition of conclusions, marking an additional step toward establishing a structured approach to spatial data quality control.

All three workshops contributed to the exchange of knowledge and experience and opened space for considering concrete approaches to improving the quality, availability, and interoperability of spatial data. The topics covered represent an important contribution to strengthening the capacities of SDI stakeholders and developing common practices in the management of spatial data and network services. The workshops were supported by the GeoConnect donor project of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the World Bank GIVE Project, which support capacity development, the improvement of standards, and the strengthening of cooperation in the field of spatial data infrastructure.