The Government today launched the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI) portal for people to search, view and download various kinds of spatial data there for free, opening a wide range of possibilities for application development.

The Development Bureau said that CSDI, a key initiative under the Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong, provides a map-based digital infrastructure as a one-stop platform to open and share the Government’s spatial data.

The portal launch will help boost the digital economy and improve quality of life, it added.

Over 500 spatial datasets from various government departments will be made available through the portal, covering planning, lands, buildings, works, population and transport.

Framework Spatial Data Themes, such as buildings, land parcel and address, are also available on the portal to provide location references for other datasets.

Additionally, the first 3D Visualisation Map dataset developed by the Lands Department was also released to the public via the portal today, signifying that map production in Hong Kong has risen to a new level.

Covering the Kowloon East region, the dataset comprises individualised models of about 6,500 buildings and 420 items of infrastructure including flyovers, footbridges and subways.

The 3D digital map can support a wide range of functions including urban planning, land management, project development, environmental studies, traffic studies, landscape design, as well as other technical assessments.

It also promotes the development of various applications and enables users to better grasp a specific location’s spatial information.

The department will continue to press ahead with developing 3D digital maps for other regions and release them for public use upon completion.