The National Spatial Information Framework (NSIF) is a national initiative
to co-ordinate the development of infrastructure needed to support the
utilization of spatial information in decision making . This building of a
"Spatial Data Infrastructure" (abbreviated as SDI) as it is termed in similar 
endeavors all over the world, includes policies, institutional arrangements, 
developing human resources and standards for geographic information. 

There is a focus on developing mechanisms to improve access to existing information, avoid duplication in data collection and management and ensure that new data captured can be easily utilized together with existing geographic data, to enhance their collective values. In 1997, the department of Land Affairs established a component to co-ordinate the development of the NSIF. The intention is not to create a single central database, but to make it possible to link different databases, which are maintained by agencies, using common standards and protocols.

Worldwide there are many initiatives aimed at the development and improvement of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). Examples of programs to build SDI on a national basis are found on every continent - there is even an initiative concerning Antarctica! Efforts to build SDIs occur at a variety of scales, from regional, through to national, transnational and even global. The thrust in SDI building initiatives, involving larger areas, is to harmonise and build on existing SDI structures within the area. At the largest scale, there is the initiative to establish a Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI). This umbrella organization brings together national and regional committees, as well as other relevant international institutions to build GSDI. For information about national and transnational SDI programs visit the home page of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure initiative at: http://www.gsdi.org
In South Africa the Directorate: NSIF is mandated to promote the development of the Africa SDI.

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