The Secretariat of State for Protection and Civil Defense of Santa Catarina State, Brazil (SDC), in partnership with the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB), is leading a strategic initiative for territorial risk management in the state. Through a Research, Development, and Innovation agreement, this collaboration encompasses the development of risk mapping and the implementation of a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) platform. This joint effort addresses the historical lack of critical data in several municipalities, enabling risk reduction, disaster prevention, and the optimization of land-use planning.
To support and enhance this large-scale generation of knowledge, the project relies on the implementation of an advanced Spatial Data Infrastructure based on GeoNode 5.0. This open-source platform serves as the technological core of the initiative, integrating maps, metadata catalogs, and databases into a single high-performance ecosystem. By consolidating this robust database, the SDC aims to eliminate data fragmentation and ensure that all geospatial layers adhere to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), thereby enhancing technical efficiency and institutional agility in risk-related information management.
The decision to choose GeoNode as a replacement to the proprietary SDI software is justified not only by the absence of a license cost, but also by its user-friendly interface for non-GIS specialists, ease of content management, and the high level of software customization potential. The challenge lies in building a team of human resources within the SDC capable of maintaining and disseminating SDI throughout the organization.
The GeoSDC project began in January 2026 with the deployment of two GeoNode environments in the SDC infrastructure - testing and production. After installation and initial contact with SDI, activities began to customize the "look and feel," as well as including State Government’s visual identification elements. The need to translate Geonode 5 terms into Brazilian Portuguese was also identified, and also the definition of authentication and authorization mechanisms.
In parallel, an inventory of SDC data is underway, whose portfolio consists of various types of formats – from vector data and spreadsheets to multidimensional grids of meteorological data. The order of magnitude of the number of datasets is estimated at 20,000 items. Meteorological datasets, in particular, constitute a major challenge to overcome, as they are information that is produced daily and has a high volume of traffic and storage.
GeoSDC will be integrated into the SGB's spatial data infrastructure through automated metadata harvesting from spatial datasets and documents, enabling the indexing of selected SGB data directly from the GeoSDC infrastructure. Furthermore, some SGB products, such as Mass Movement and Flood Susceptibility maps, will be directly synchronized between the two SDIs.
The GeoSDC SDI is expected to be fully operational and publicly accessible by the end of 2027.