ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community

Infrastructure for Spatial Information (INSPIRE) is a system that helps people in the European Community share information about the environment, such as maps or geographic data. To make sure everyone can use this information easily, the European Commission has created some rules that everyone must follow when they create or share this data.

Picture this - You know how when you want to find something on a map, you zoom in or zoom out? Similarly, INSPIRE acts like a big magnifying glass that helps you find and access all the geographic data located in different countries across Europe. These data can be maps, statistics, images, or anything that tells us about the climate, land, air, water, or animals in a particular region in Europe.

INSPIRE acts as a library where all this information is stored, and when someone needs help finding something (like a government authority or a company), they can search for it using INSPIRE. When creating or sharing information, people have to follow the rules because it makes sure that the information is easy to find and use for everyone.

Think of it like a game of lego where each person has their own set of cards to build their piece. All the cards stack up with one another, making a bigger model. But, to make sure everyone's model looks the same, everyone has to follow the same instructions otherwise, the structure might break, and the game would be lost.

In conclusion, INSPIRE makes it really easy to find and access information about the environment in Europe by following rules that make data sharing simple and effective while helping to provide a safe and connected environment.