The term Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) is not new and has already been present in the world for quite a long time. President Clinton's Executive Order 12906 from April 1994 played a crucial role and was an initiative in establishing National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). This Order induced briskly the building of NSDI and also of all additional counterparts in the USA and around the whole world. Besides NSDI, various other initiatives at regional (EUROGI, PCGIAP, …) and global level (GSDI) were also launched.
In this paper, an overview of different initiatives and efforts in establishing SDI in Croatia will be presented. State bodies such as the Government and State Geodetic Administration have the main role in it in collaboration with public and commercial sector and also with academic community. As the main factor in creating a future SDI, State Geodetic Administration has launched several initiatives the goal of which is the installation of new technologies, equipment and procedures in map production and the establishment of digital topographic and cadastre databases. The arrangement and modernization of spatial records and the establishment of NSDI make the key factors for sustainable physical planning and land development at local and national level.
In the next few years Croatia must solve numerous duties to arrange spatial records. These duties must be solved very conscientiously and in a reasonable period of time. It is very important for Croatian prosperity and for the fulfilment of the conditions set in the process of entering European and international integrations.