The NGMHu started as a bottom-up professional initiative. The starting point was a practical problem: the sector-specific data and webGIS view we provided lacked a backgound map to help users navigate and interpret spatial information. This triggered a fundamental question: what shared map could we use to overlay these datasets?
At the beginning of development, we focused on standardizing core elements, such as transport network (roads, railways) and hydrography. Later, we expanded this content by leveraging existing state geospatial data. Today, our data sources include the land registry map database, Hungarian administrative units, the LPIS land cover database, and the Gazetteer of Hungary. Instead of displaying these datasets in full, we designed custom data models to provide a streamlined, simplified content optimized specifically for base map purposes. Broadly speaking, this is how we created a now continuously updated, standardized service built entirely on state data, which can easily host additional sector-specific layers.
Why is it important to make core geospatial data accessible?
Data accessibility is a powerful catalyst for new developments and innovative use cases. The NGMHU can be integrated into any interface with a map view, and as a WMTS (Web Map Tile Service), it can serve as a core component for custom software development. This provides applications with a standardized map built on reliable state data. Traditional standards and complex, individual map legends have been simplified into a user-friendly design on the NGMHu. However, for expert users with complementary knowledge, the custom styling designed for hundreds of integrated data layers ensures that deeper, valuable insights remain available.
What do you think will be one of the most exciting questions in this field at the conference?
I have high expectations for the conference. In the context of the NGMHu, we will explore how to build efficient spatial data-sharing mechanisms where different actors can work from a shared geometric foundation to eliminate redundant data collection. While this sounds like a trivial issue, it is not; currently, numerous data providers manage countless datasets in silos, creating unnecessary duplication. The NGMHu is the first step in the right direction, but it is not enough on its own. Open data policies create massive opportunities for further development and innovation, and our recently launched NGMHu WMTS service serves exactly this purpose. In an ideal scenario, the base map would be built from highly detailed, re-integrated sector data coming directly from the respective data owners through strategic cooperation agreements. This way, every stakeholder could contribute their own spatial data to create and maintain one or more shared, openly accessible base map services tailored to different needs. To achieve this, we urgently need a shared spatial data platform (National Spatial Data Infrastructure) equipped with proper authentication for collaborative editing and sharing. This would unlock true operational efficiency, minimize duplication, and allow us to co-develop new methodologies to respond faster to modern challenges.
International Spatial Data Conference 2026
- Date: October 8, 2026
- Venue: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Building K – Assembly Hall (Díszterem)
Participation is free of charge but requires prior registration. You can register on the conference website until September 30, 2026, or until seats are fully booked.
Photo: András Tóth / Lechner Knowledge Center
