MAGIC: a geoportal for the English countryside

Abstract: MAGIC (Multi Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside) is a geoportal created by a partnership of UK government departments and agencies in order to provide access to rural and countryside information for partner organisations, other public and private sector organisations and the wider public. The approach taken by the MAGIC partnership is described against a background of limited apparent success of multi-agency collaborative GIS initiatives of this sort. The resource created by the MAGIC project is described along with other essential elements such as the interagency agreements and data standards needed to support the geoportal. This paper evaluates the success of the geoportal in terms of available quantitative information, such as site usage, and qualitative, but equally important aspects, such as the co-operative partnership created amongst the organisations behind MAGIC. Future priorities for the geoportal are discussed; which include priorities to increase the breadth and depth of data holdings and the need to develop interoperability with other geoportals and web-based sources of information. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]