Geodata Day 2026: Joint thinking on the national spatial data strategy
The Lechner Knowledge Center organized the first Lechner Geodata Day on April 30, 2026, with nearly 300 participants. The aim of the event was to launch a dialogue between state and business actors in the geospatial data market regarding the formulation of a national spatial data strategy. During the event, Lechner presented its own spatial data strategy, and discussions were held on the future of national spatial data policy, infrastructure development and data access, among other topics.
The opening keynote was delivered by Dr. György Sántha, President of the Magyary Zoltán E-Government Association, who has long been working towards establishing a functioning national data ecosystem. In his presentation, he spoke about the growing importance of spatial data, current issues in regulation, and the challenges facing data management. He highlighted that real results can only be achieved through broad cooperation and collaboration between various actors and disciplines.
Attila Hülber, CEO of the Lechner Knowledge Center, presented the strategic as-is analysis study, as well as the institutional-level Spatial Data Strategy built upon it. He outlined the development process of the strategy, the challenges encountered, and the future tasks ahead for Lechner. He pointed out that the strategic goal set by the working group for the Lechner Knowledge Center to become a widely known and recognized spatial data center across Europe. To achieve this, the organization will focus closely on developing primary data utilization, establishing proactive partnerships, developing competitive spatial data-based services, and strengthening the open data mindset.
The first panel discussion centered around the issue of the National Spatial Data Policy. Topics on the agenda included the potential definition of a spatial data policy, questions of data quality and authentication, and ensuring data flow between different actors. The discussion also addressed where the National Spatial Data Policy might manifest at an institutional level, how interested professional and market actors are in its implementation, and what benefits the creation of a functioning national data ecosystem could offer them.
The panel discussion titled National Spatial Data Infrastructure was moderated by Géza Juhász, Director of Geospatial Services at the Lechner Knowledge Center. Participants sought answers to who would benefit most from the creation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, what advantages it could offer to citizens, what opportunities lie within the Digital Citizenship Program (DÁP), and what roles the state and the market could play in developing the system.
Lechner Knowledge Center highly appreciates and thanks all participants for their openness and proactivity.
Photo: András Tóth (Lechner Knowledge Center)