The Indonesian Ministry of Forestry has threatened gaol and fines for unauthorised downloads of Shapefiles.
Users of an official Indonesian government geospatial data portal are being presented with a notice threatening gaol terms of up to three years for unauthorised downloads of data.
The government says the restriction applies only to downloads of data in the Shapefile format from the Sistem Informasi Geospasial (SIGAP) portal.
Doni Prabowo, Head of Forest Monitoring and Geospatial Information with the Ministry of Forestry, said the move aims to prevent malicious falsification and exploitation of geospatial data.
Speaking with Mongabay.com, Doni Prabowo said “What if somebody manipulates the data and says certain areas are not protected forest [when they really are]? It could be dangerous,” adding that he had heard of publicly available data being downloaded and re-sold on an online platform.
According to the notice that greets SIGAP users, “The data is presented for viewing purposes only (view-only). Without written permission from the administrator, it is prohibited to: (a) download, extract, or convert the data into other formats (e.g., Shapefile); (b) alter, disseminate, or sell the data; (c) engage in actions that exceed system access limits (hacking).” (Google translation.)
It goes on to spell out the legal consequences.
“Unauthorised alteration of Thematic Geospatial Information (IGT) and/or unauthorised dissemination of altered IGT may result in criminal sanctions under Article 60 in conjunction with Article 66 of Law Number 4 of 2011 concerning Geospatial Information, punishable by imprisonment for a maximum of 6 (six) months or a fine of up to IDR 125,000,000.00 [$10,000]. If such actions result in danger or loss to persons or property, the penalty may be imprisonment for a maximum of 3 (three) years or a fine of up to IDR 750,000,000.00 [$60,000].” (Google translation.)
Complicating land management
Geospatial forestry data is an important commodity in Indonesia, a country afflicted by illegal logging and consequent habitat destruction that affects animals, plants and communities.
Data falsification and manipulation is an ongoing concern.
Yet, industry sources say the new SIGAP restrictions are unhelpful and possibly unlawful. Some have made the case that access to the data is protected under Indonesian law and that it should remain freely and easily accessible.
“It’s a typical Indonesian approach,” Andreas Harsono, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, told Mongabay.
“It does not say that you cannot download the data, but you need to get a permit to download a government data,” he said. “These permits are usually very long to get, taking so much time, if approved at all. It shows that the Ministry of Forestry does not have the goodwill to provide maps.”
“It’s going to complicate land management in Indonesia as well as increase corruption opportunities.”
Yet the Ministry’s Doni Prabowo insists the government is not restricting access to the raw data, only that Shapefile format data should not be downloaded with permission. PDF-format data can still be downloaded without permission.
Herlambang Wiratraman, a law professor at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, said the 2008 Public Information Disclosure Act enshrines the public’s right to access geospatial data.
“Access to public information is a human right,” he told Mongabay. “Open access maps will create more public participation that will add more meaning to Indonesia’s democracy.”
Related reading:
Indonesia launches Piksel national EO analysis platform
Regional project for smarter environmental monitoring
