Legal, Organizational and Technical Determinants for the Use of Spatial Data in the State Fire Service in Poland

Legal, Organizational and Technical Determinants for the Use of Spatial Data in the State Fire Service in Poland | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Legal, Organizational and Technical Determinants for the Use of Spatial Data in the State Fire Service in Poland Karolina TYRAŃSKA-WIZNER, Marcin SMOLARKIEWICZ This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4576319/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 24 Feb, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This article presents the results of research aimed at verifying the following hypothesis: to determine the possibility of using spatial data for the needs of the State Fire Service (SFS), one should take into account conditions of the following nature: legal, organizational and technical. The research, carried out using the survey method in Poland, was limited to a group of SFS officers of provincial and district (city) commands who actively use spatial data in their professional work. The statistically significant results confirmed the validity of the adopted hypothesis, which should be considered to be positively verified. Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards Physical sciences/Engineering/Civil engineering spatial information system GIS spatial data state fire service Introduction Since the beginning of his existence, man has collected and analysed information about the world around him. He has tried to obtain the most accurate data possible about objects and phenomena located in space. The analysis of the information already available in the past allowed us to make more accurate decisions, which translated into a decisive development of civilization [ 16 ]. Rapid technological development has led to fundamental changes in both the acquisition and use of spatial information [ 16 , pp. 11–13]. The development of computer science has led to the development of systems that use computers to widely manage information about objects and phenomena located in geographic space [ 16 , pp. 14]. An indispensable element of the above system — the spatial information system [ 27 ] — is spatial data, which play a very important role in the system in question. One of the main elements of the spatial information system is the spatial database, which consists of a set of data mapping a specific fragment of reality [ 13 ]. It is also a description of the world around us, space and phenomena [ 20 ]. In analysing the literature, it should be noted that the literature relating to spatial data and how to use it in SFS is extremely scarce [ 12 ], [ 26 ]. However, there are compact studies relating to the use of spatial information systems and spatial data in many areas of everyday life, such as transport [ 33 ], environmental protection [ 4 ], emergency management [ 34 ], and health care [ 9 ]. To determine what conditions spatial data correspond to, an analysis of the literature was carried out from legal, technical and organizational perspectives. The 1990s were characterized by an ever-increasing demand for geoinformation data. The large number of systems in use, databases, standards and legal solutions caused barriers to free access to and use of data. To overcome these barriers, the process of creating spatial data infrastructure (SDI), whose task was to ensure harmonization, as well as the cooperation of existing data and spatial information systems, was launched [ 2 ]. The above factors contributed to the effective use of geospatial data for sustainable development, as well as the rational management of geo-information resources [ 2 , pp. 67–85], [ 3 ]. Creating a spatial information system involves implementing data on the description of the surrounding world in information systems to reflect it digitally [ 4 , pp. 2–4]. The main task for which the spatial information infrastructure was created is to access and use not only individual data or spatial datasets but also all spatial datasets in the daily work of public administration entities [ 7 ]. Currently, the largest holder of spatial datasets in the country is public administration at all levels. Quoting Gadzdzicki, spatial information infrastructure in relation to geo-information, is "a set of appropriate technologies, political and economic measures and institutional undertakings that facilitate access to and use of spatial data. SDI serves, therefore, for the search, evaluation, transfer and use of data by its users and producers at all levels of government, the economic sector, the social (nonprofit) sector and academia, as well as by citizens in general" [ 10 ]. The elements of the spatial information infrastructure were pointed in [ 28 ] Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. The role of spatial data services, which are a very important component of spatial information infrastructure, is to guarantee universal and free access to spatial data and metadata for national public authorities, end users, and "community institutions and bodies, for public tasks that may affect the environment". The INSPIRE Directive defines general conceptual, organizational and legal issues relating to the establishment of spatial information infrastructure in Europe, as well as in all member countries of the European Union. The main tenets of the INSPIRE Directive are as follows [ 28 ]: The spatial data should be stored, shared, and maintained at an appropriate administrative level. the ability to combine spatial data from different sources in a unified way, shared use of spatial data by multiple users and multiple applications at each administrative level, the sharing of geodata collected at one level by other public entities, guaranteeing the sharing of spatial data under clearly defined conditions, the ease of searching the provided spatial data, which makes it possible to find the data resource of interest. Under this directive, the sharing of spatial data is performed through web services [ 28 ], [ 2 ]. With a browsing network service, spatial databases can be accessed through interactive visualization. The browsing service enables the creation of a map image based on the provided database. Making spatial information available to public administrations to perform their assigned tasks on a daily basis contributes to more effective decision-making [ 36 ]. After network services, another technical solution worth looking at from the user's point of view to share spatial data is cloud computing [ 2 ]. This solution is based "on sharing a number of services provided by organizations external to the user". With this solution, the user does not need to build the entire technical infrastructure at home (i.e., equip himself with hardware, software and a spatial database) to perform any spatial analysis at any time and anywhere in the world. All the users need to have a computer with internet access. The provided universal and free access to spatial information greatly simplifies the procedures previously used for sharing and exchanging data between entities at the national and European levels. Bearing in mind the provisions enshrined in the INSPIRE Directive of March 14, 2007, Poland, as a member state of the European Union, was obliged to build a National Spatial Information Infrastructure tailored to its circumstances. In connection with this requirement, on March 4, 2010, Poland implemented the provisions of the INSPIRE Directive in the form of the Spatial Information Infrastructure Act. The law in question establishes legal mechanisms that provide the basis for achieving interoperability in spatial data, metadata, network services, development and use of spatial information infrastructure. The overriding goal in creating spatial information infrastructure was to guarantee the interoperability of spatial data services and spatial datasets, i.e., the ability to "link spatial datasets and interoperability of spatial data services, without repetitive manual intervention, in such a way that the result is consistent and the added value of spatial datasets and services is increased" [ 29 ]. An important provision in the Law on Spatial Information Infrastructure is Article 14.1, according to which "spatial datasets and services covered by the infrastructure, maintained by an administrative body, shall be made available free of charge to other administrative bodies to the extent necessary for them to carry out their public tasks". The central point of access to spatial data services is the spatial information infrastructure geoportal (geoportal.gov.pl), which is managed by the chief geodesist of the country. The entry into force of the Spatial Information Infrastructure Act of March 4, 2010 necessitated an obligation to amend the Act of May 17, 1989 - Geodetic and Cartographic Law [ 30 ]. The proposed amendments primarily concerned the adaptation of the datasets of the state geodetic and cartographic resources to the requirements set forth in the Spatial Information Infrastructure Act. In addition, based on Article 4, paragraph 1a of the Act - Geodetic and Cartographic Law and Cartographic Law, an obligation was introduced to create and maintain databases, including spatial datasets of the spatial information infrastructure, in the ICT system. A very important regulation — from the point of view of the use of spatial data by the State Fire Service — is the provision of Article 40 (3e) of the Law — Geodetic and Cartographic Law, which specifies that "the Chief Land Surveyor, in cooperation with other entities performing public tasks, shall maintain and develop an information and communication system allowing access to spatial data allowing, in particular, for: providing interoperable collections and services related to state geodetic and cartographic resources; provide a communication interface connecting the ICT infrastructure of state geodetic and cartographic resources with the ICT systems of entities performing public tasks by means of interoperable sets and services related to state geodetic and cartographic resources; the data and services of the state geodetic and cartographic resources are integrated with the datasets and services maintained by the entities referred to in point 2, and the combined and shared datasets are processed and spatial analysis is performed; ensuring availability and continuity of operation of the system responsible for providing access to data and services of the state geodetic and cartographic resource". Based on the above provisions, the Chief Geodetic Surveyor of the country makes the spatial data of the Central Geodetic and Cartographic Resources available to any interested user free of charge and without any restrictions. The State Fire Service under Article 14 and item 2 of the Law on Fire Protection [ 31 ] through the State Fire Service Decision Support System (DSS SFS) receives free access to spatial data and services provided through the ICT system mentioned above [ 5 ]. The use of geospatial data for fire protection, disaster risk reduction, emergency management and emergency planning has already been discussed [ 1 ], [ 6 ], [ 8 ], [ 15 ], [ 17 ], [ 19 ], [ 21 ], [ 22 ]; however, in this paper, the results of broader research in the field of the dedicated use of spatial information by a particular entity, the Polish State Fire Service, are presented. These results formed the basis for a doctoral dissertation; however, they have not yet been published worldwide [ 26 ]. Research methodology The purpose of the research, the results of which are presented in this paper, was to learn about respondents' knowledge of the legal, organizational and technical conditions for the use of spatial data in the SFS. The knowledge possessed outlined the main research problem, which was defined by the following question: How can spatial data be used in the State Fire Service in Poland ? Answering the main research problem formulated in this way required answering a number of specific questions, particularly: What considerations should be taken into account when determining the possibility of using spatial data from the State Fire Service in Poland ? The answer to this question is devoted to this publication, assuming that the results of this research can positively influence the use of spatial data potential in the State Fire Service. In an effort to solve the main research problem, the research process was carried out in two stages: preliminary research (using theoretical methods) and proper research (using empirical methods) [ 26 ]. As part of the preliminary research, an analysis of the available literature on legal acts relating to the considered research problem was carried out in terms of the possibility of using spatial data in the Polish SFS. For the purposes of the considered research process, the abstraction method was also used to highlight the elements relevant to the conducted research. The last theoretical method used for the purposes of the research under consideration was inference, which made it possible to formulate conclusions. Research proper is the use of an empirical method — a diagnostic survey — in the form of a survey using a questionnaire sheet with SFS officers. The survey made it possible to determine what level of knowledge the respondents represented in the use of spatial data in the SFS, which made it possible to formulate conclusions and propose necessary changes. The empirical study, which was conducted using the survey method, was time-limited between May 2019 and July 2019. The survey tool used was a survey questionnaire, which was a substantively and graphically structured list of questions on the use of spatial data in the SFS. Following Juszczyk, the chosen method of dissemination of the questionnaire in question is classified as environmental surveys, i.e., directly disseminated in a given environment [ 18 ]. The developed survey questionnaire was distributed by e-mail to all provincial headquarters of the State Fire Service and subordinate district (city) headquarters of the State Fire Service. The survey questionnaire was aimed at a small group of SFS officers who serve in operational departments and use spatial data in their work to carry out their duties (the most important tasks of the operations department in the SFS include analysing the state of operational security of a given city/county/province area and the state of preparedness of the command for the organization of rescue operations during the occurrence of extraordinary threats, disasters or natural disasters, developing rescue plans and their ongoing updating, and analysing the rescue operations carried out). Participation in the survey was voluntary. The scope of research didn’t compromise the sensitive data of the respondents. The questionnaire was fully anonymous and the selection of questions and answers made it impossible to identify the identity of those providing answers. The research methods used were employed in accordance with the guidelines set out in the “Procedure for the Procedure for the Award of the Doctoral Degree at the Main School of Fire Service in the Extramural Mode”, which is an annex to Resolution No. 38 of the Senate of the Main School of Fire Service, dated 25.09.2019. At the time of the research (2019), there was no Research Ethics Committee in the Main School of Fire Service (now the Fire Academy). However, the research process was approved and adopted by the Doctoral Committee. The survey questionnaire consisted of 21 closed questions, including 16 single-choice questions and five multiple-choice questions. Several questions in the survey were asked, following Juszczyk, with the so-called cafeteria, a package of possible answers [ 18 , pp. 75]. The survey questionnaire included closed cafeterias (with a certain number of answers) and semiopen cafeterias (several answers with a final item called “Other”). The survey questionnaire also included questions in the form of alternatives, which gave the respondent the opportunity to choose an answer from two options, "Yes" or "No", and a third possible answer, "I have no knowledge." The survey also included questions on the so-called metrics. The answers to these questions provided information about the demographic and social characteristics of the officers who participated in the survey. Only 12 questions thematically related to the survey in question were used to consider the specific research problem specified in the publication. The thematic questions were related to legal acts that allow spatial data to be obtained free of charge by the SFS, legal acts that regulate the free use of spatial data by the SFS, computer equipment available to the SFS, the type of spatial data visualization software available to the SFS, barriers to the use of spatial data in the SFS, and the amount of training received by officers on the subject of the possibility of using spatial data in the SFS. Following Okon, the definition of a sample is defined in statistics as an appropriately selected group of elements of a given community, which constitutes a population. Therefore, it is possible to obtain relevant results and draw conclusions based on them, and the size of the research sample was determined. For this purpose, the sample size was determined [ 14 ]. For the purposes of the study, the test significance level was α = 0.05, and the confidence coefficient was p = 1 - α = 0.95. From the tables of the distribution of the normal distribution N, it was determined that the value of the half confidence interval for the confidence coefficient p = 0.95 is Z = 1.96. For the purposes of this publication, a maximum estimation error of d = 4% was assumed. Taking the above assumptions into account, it was determined that the number N = 353 is the group of respondents (officers) from the SFS who use spatial data. The number 353 represents the number of SFS commands — provincial, district, and city (16, 271, and 66, respectively). It was assumed (based on pilot studies; this survey was carried out during the scientific and practical seminar "GIS in PSP" organized by the Main School of Fire Service in cooperation with the Chojnice SFS, Warsaw, MSFS, 12.04. 2018, which was attended by 120 officers of the State Fire Service.) that one person in a given command uses spatial data. The number of fire stations was determined based on data posted on the website of the National Fire Service Headquarters [ 32 ]. Using formula from [ 14 ] and the assumed values of Z = 1.96, for a confidence level of 0.95 and d = 4% (maximum error), the minimum size of the research sample n b = 222 was determined. The survey yielded 244 survey questionnaires. This number is therefore sufficient to take the results obtained as representative research. Results of the study with discussion Based on the results, 242 (99.2%) of the 244 respondents were men, and 2 (0.8%) were women. The participants of the empirical study were officers of (provincial, district/municipal) Polish SFS commands. The largest percentage of respondents represented district SFS headquarters (66%), which is justified by the number of district SFS headquarters in relation to city or provincial SFS headquarters in the country. The largest group of respondents by province were those representing the Wielkopolska (14.3%) and Mazovia (13.9%) provinces, which is related to the number of SFS organizational units in those provinces. Another variable characterizing the respondents was length of service. The largest group among the officers surveyed were those with more than 15 years of service (29.9%) and those with more than 10 years up to and including 15 years of service (29.5%). In search of an answer to the research problem posed, it was first necessary to determine whether the legal, technical and organizational solutions were sufficient to use spatial data in the SFS commands. From an analysis of the available legal acts, it is clear that the SFS has access to spatial data provided by state entities. On the other hand, the research showed (Table 1 ) that 68.9% (168 respondents) of the respondents were not aware of a legal act that would regulate the above issue. Another very important issue was to determine (regarding technical conditions) whether the spatial data visualization hardware and software in the SFS met the requirements. For this purpose, several questions were asked to verify the above issue (Table 1 ). Regarding the question about IT equipment, as many as 61.9% of all surveyed officers answered "Yes" affirmatively, confirming that the computers on the SFS organizational unit's equipment have adequate parameters for working with spatial data. The remaining group (38.1% of respondents) declared the lack of suitable computer equipment in their SFS organizational unit. On the other hand, regarding spatial data visualization software, more than 54% of the officers answered "Yes" affirmatively, indicating that spatial data visualization software is sufficient for use. The remaining 45.9% of respondents believe that spatial data visualization software does not meet their expectations. Another question pertaining to conditions of a technical nature was the use of spatial data visualization software. The respondents' answers to this question may seem surprising, as 52.9% of respondents answered that spatial data visualization software is not used in their organizational units, although 54.1% of respondents declared that spatial data visualization software in their commands is sufficient to use spatial data. Thus, some people declare not using the available software to facilitate their work with spatial data, despite their hardware and software availability. Table 1 Quantitative distribution of responses regarding the legal and technical conditions for the use of spatial data in the State Fire Service in Poland Knowledge of the legal acts that allow the PSP to obtain spatial data free of charge N Does the IT equipment - computers have sufficient parameters to use spatial data without interference N Does the IT equipment - computers have sufficient parameters to use spatial data without interference N Use of spatial data visualization software N YES 31,1% 76 61,9% 151 54,1% 132 47,1% 115 NO 68,9% 168 38,1% 93 45,9% 112 52,9% 129 Total 100% 244 100% 244 100% 244 100% 244 N - number of respondents Source: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. "Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service", SGSP, Warsaw 2021. In an attempt to verify the correctness of the declaration contained in the question on knowledge of the legal acts that enable the free use of spatial data, a question focused on the core of knowledge of the legal acts was asked: which legal act, to your knowledge, regulates the possibility of free use of spatial data by the State Fire Service? Of all respondents, only 15.6% gave the correct answer, pointing to the correct legal act, i.e., the law on spatial information infrastructure. It should be taken into account that of the 168 people who declared that they did not know the relevant legal acts regulating the above issues, as many as 20 people gave the correct answer. Table 2 presents a quantitative summary of the answers given to the above questions. Table 2 Quantitative distribution of responses for legal acts regulating the possibility of free use of spatial data by the State Fire Service in Poland Legal acts on free use of spatial data N % INSPIRE Directive 18 7,4% Law on spatial information infrastructure 38 15,6% Law on geodesy and cartography 54 22,1% Law on Fire Protection 9 3,7% I have no knowledge 125 51,2% Total 244 100% N - number of respondents Source: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. "Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service", SGSP, Warsaw 2021. To answer the question regarding the type of software used to visualize spatial data, officers of the State Fire Service were asked to indicate responses identifying the type of software for visualizing the data in question. Of all the respondents, the largest number indicated that "free" software for working with spatial data is used in their command, accounting for 36.5% of the responses. The answers given to the questions showed that 26.2% of those surveyed "have no knowledge" in the given area. The fewest respondents marked "Commercial," accounting for 3.3% of all the responses. Such a result may have to do with the high costs that the command has to bear when deciding on commercial software. Table 3 presents a quantitative summary of the answers given to the above questions. Table 3 Quantitative distribution of responses by type of spatial data visualization software used by Polish State Fire Service respondents. Type of spatial data visualization software N % Free 89 36,5% Commercial 8 3,3% Free and commercial 36 14,8% I have no knowledge 64 26,2% No software 47 19,3% Total 244 100% N - number of respondents Source: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. "Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service", SGSP, Warsaw 2021. Considering the organizational nature of the use of spatial data, an important issue analysed as part of this publication was the barriers that hinder the use of spatial data by SFS organizational units. In an effort to identify impediments to the use of spatial data, respondents were asked to indicate (by multiple choice) the likely barriers that may complicate the use of spatial data in the SFS. The respondents overwhelmingly identified the barrier that complicates the use of spatial data as "Lack of training in the field in question" — 70.1% of respondents. Other barriers preventing the use of spatial data identified by respondents include a lack of commitment of people, lack of top-down guidance in the use of spatial data, and lack of appropriate software for visualizing spatial data. Other barriers that officers have pointed out are the excessive amount of duties imposed on officers to engage in something new, lack of time to explore spatial data topics, and too much and incomprehensible description of spatial data that causes chaos in its use. Of those surveyed, only 14.3% (35 people) indicated that, in their opinion, "there are no barriers to using free spatial data," which may indicate little access to training, software, financial outlays, etc. Table 4 shows the distribution of responses. Table 4 Quantitative distribution of responses for identified barriers to the use of spatial data by the organizational units of the State Fire Service in Poland Identified barriers to the use of spatial data N % Lack of involvement of people 84 34,4% Lack of needs in the use of spatial data 52 21,3% Lack of appropriate software to visualize spatial data 86 35,2% Lack of appropriate equipment to create analysis using spatial data 66 27,0% Lack of training in the subject area 171 70,1% Lack of top-down guidelines in the use of spatial data 97 39,8% Insufficient funding 72 29,5% There are no barriers to using free spatial data 35 14,3% Other 10 4,1% N - number of respondents Source: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. "Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service", SGSP, Warsaw 2021. Another very important area was to determine whether SFS officers participate in dedicated training on the use of spatial data. To this end, a question relating to the above question was asked: How much training on the use of spatial data by public authorities have you participated in? The results in Table 5 show that more than 66% of officers (163 people) had never participated in training on spatial data use opportunities. This has to do with the barriers limiting the use of spatial data, as noted by respondents when answering an earlier question. Table 5 Distribution of responses regarding the number of trainings on the use of spatial data by public administration entities (received by SFS officers) Number of training sessions held N % 0 163 66,8% 1 59 24,2% 2 12 4,9% 3 2 0,8% More than 3 8 3,3% Total 244 100% N - number of respondents Source: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. "Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service", SGSP, Warsaw 2021. The results show that one in four respondents attended only one training course on spatial data, and less than 5% of respondents (12 people) participated in two trainings. Such disparities in the answers given may have to do with the costs that commands would have to bear in subsidizing training for officers on a given topic — the use of spatial data. To even disproportionate results, a viable solution for the time being seems to be that training centers operating at provincial headquarters of the SFS, as part of their in-service training, should introduce specialized courses on the subject in question. In addition to the analysis of the frequency distribution of responses, for the purposes of this publication, a statistical analysis of the correlation of survey results was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 package [ 35 ]. Due to the nominal variables and the small number of categories/groups, a series of nonparametric tests were performed using the above software. Nonparametric tests are used to "decompose a community according to a specific characteristic rather than its parameters" [ 23 ]. The nonparametric chi-square independence test (χ 2 ) was used in the statistical analysis. Test χ 2 provides the ability to determine the probability of "the occurrence of phenomenon X when phenomenon Y exists and vice versa". By conducting an independence test χ 2, one has knowledge only of whether there is a relationship between the variables. To carry out statistical inference, it is very important to determine the level of significance which determines the probability of making an error under the assumption that there is a correlation between the variables under study. In the social sciences, the test probability value p is assumed to be significant if p ≤ 0.05 [ 23 ]. For the purposes of this paper, only correlations in which the statistical independence test reached statistical significance were considered. The publication presents the most significant conclusions after the result of the statistical independence test resulting from the research conducted for Tyrańska-Wizner's doctoral dissertation [ 26 ]. Knowledge of the legal acts governing the possibility of obtaining spatial data free of charge is weakly dependent on whether there are barriers to the use of spatial data at the respondents' place of duty. Respondents who declare familiarity with the acts in question are less likely to indicate barriers such as lack of need for the use of spatial data and lack of appropriate software for visualizing spatial data than those who do not know the acts in question that allow them to obtain spatial data free of charge. In addition, a greater percentage of those claiming familiarity with the acts responded to the lack of barriers to using free spatial data than did those who did not know the act data. The IT equipment (computers) available in the Polish SFS organizational units is adequate (in terms of parameters) to work on spatial data using any type of spatial data visualization software. The choice of barriers to the use of spatial data is weakly dependent on whether there is sufficient spatial data visualization software at the respondents' place of duty. Respondents who say that they do not have sufficient software at their place of duty to use spatial data are more likely than those who have sufficient software at their place of duty to report barriers such as lack of adequate spatial data visualization software, lack of adequate equipment to create analysis using spatial data, lack of training in the subject area, and insufficient financial resources. In contrast, those who indicated that they had sufficient spatial data visualization software at their place of service reported no barriers compared to those who did not have sufficient software at their place of service. However, the use of spatial data visualization software is, on average, dependent on whether there is such software in a given SFS organizational unit. Knowledge of the legislation governing the possibility of free use of spatial data is weakly dependent on whether the survey participant has received training in the use of spatial data. More than half of the surveyed people who had not been to any training on this topic answered "I have no knowledge." On the other hand, those who had participated in two trainings mostly chose the answer concerning the Surveying and Cartographic Law. The respondents who attended more than three trainings mainly responded to the spatial information infrastructure law. The choice of barriers to the use of spatial data is not strongly dependent on the number of trainings the respondents have attended. Those who have not received any training are more likely than those who have received training to report barriers such as a lack of appropriate software for visualizing spatial data. Respondents who have not attended any training or who have attended only one training session are more likely to report a lack of training in the subject area than other respondents. In contrast, those who have attended two training sessions are more likely to report that there are no barriers to using free spatial data than those who have attended one or fewer training sessions. Summary and conclusions In summary, over the past few years, Poland has made significant progress towards the development of spatial information infrastructure [ 9 ]. The creation of a national spatial information infrastructure has contributed to ensuring the consistency of the spatial data infrastructures of European Union (EU) member states. The hypothesis defined for the purpose of this publication: Conditions of the following nature — legal, organizational and technical — should be taken into account to determine the possibility of using spatial data in the SFS — was verified. The results of the study of documents, including legal acts on spatial data, outlined a picture to which spatial data can be made available free of charge and on whom the duty to manage the spatial database rests. The above discussion proves that without defining legal, organizational and technical assumptions, spatial data cannot be fully used. The research conducted showed that the greatest limitation in the use of spatial data identified by respondents is the lack of organization of training for SFS officers in the indicated area and the lack of procedures defining for what purposes the spatial data provided should be used. The above is confirmed by the research of Gawronski [ 11 ], who believes that there is no developed single standard (for all organizational units) for the use of spatial data and that there are barriers to the use of spatial data resulting from, among other things, freedom in the form of the use of maps and information systems and the lack of a designated person in a given organizational unit to address the acquisition, updating, editing, and visualization of spatial data. There are also no developed procedures for determining which spatial data should be used to conduct a specific analysis, such as the deployment of specialized equipment, impediments to conducting rescue operations due to terrain that is difficult to access, etc. A lack of adequate training results in the abandonment of a technologically developed spatial information system, which results in a failure to realize the potential of spatial data. Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Poland, recognizing the potential of the spatial information system and thus spatial data, organized a GIS training course within the walls of the Central School of the State Fire Service in Częstochowa in June 2023, with the aim of creating and maintaining a unified GIS platform for the State Fire Service. The new GIS platform is a universal tool for the SFS to plan and support operational activities. The platform is integrated with the redesigned DSS-SFS system to ensure seamless use of data. Tomlinson expresses the view that "(...) even the world's best GIS development plan will not succeed without the participation of a properly prepared staff" [ 25 ]. Declarations Author Contribution K.T.-W. did a research under the guidance of M.S. and wrote a preliminary manuscript text. K.T. also prepared tables 1-5. M.S. did a revision of the preliminary text of the manuscript and prapared the last version Data Availability At the Fire University, it is not currently the practice to share the raw data used for dissertation development. However, the datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. References Ala’ Kassab, Steve Liang, Yang Gao, Real-time notification and improved situational awareness in fire emergencies using geospatial-based publish/subscribe, International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, Volume 12, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 431-438, ISSN 1569-8432, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2010.04.001. Baranowski M., Geoinformation infrastructures and spatial information infrastructure in Europe [in:] Białousz S., Bielecka E., INSPIRE and the National Spatial Information Infrastructure, theoretical foundations and practical aspects, GUGiK, Warsaw 2011. 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(eds) Service-Oriented Mapping. Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72434-8_3 Chuvieco E., Aguado I., Jurdao S., Pettinari M. L., Yebra M., Salas J., Hantson S., de la Riva J., Ibarra P., Rodrigues M., Echeverría M., Azqueta D., Román M. V., Bastarrika A., Martínez S., Recondo C., Zapico E., Martínez-Vega F. J. (2014) Integrating geospatial information into fire risk assessment. International Journal of Wildland Fire 23, 606-619, https://doi.org/10.1071/WF12052. Gotlib D., Iwaniak A., Olszewski R., GIS. Areas of application, PWN, Warszawa 2007. GSDI Compendium of Spatial Data Infrastructures, version 1.1, 2001, Douglas D., Nebert D. (eds.), development of the Polish version Gaździcki J., PTIP. Gawronski W. Application of geoinformation systems in rescue operations of the State Fire Service, doctoral dissertation, Academy of Military Art, Warsaw 2019, unpublished material. Gawronski W., Tyrańska-Wizner K., Use of geoinformation by the National Fire Service, PTIP, Annals of Geomatics 2014, Vol. XII, ZESZYT 2(64): 217-224. Geoinformation in Emergency Management and Rescue, Crisis Information Center, April 2016. Halik J., Methodology for writing master's and study papers, AON, Warsaw 2002. Hong S. G., Lim S., Lee H. and Lee K. B., S-DESIGN: Indoor Geospatial Information Converged System for Firefighting Activities, 2022 International Conference on Electronics, Information, and Communication (ICEIC), Jeju, Korea, Republic of, 2022, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/ICEIC54506.2022.9748380. Izdebski W., Dobre praktyki udziału gmin i powiatów w tworzeniu infrastruktury danych przestrzennych w Polsce, 2nd extended edition, Geo-System, Warsaw 2016. Johnson R., GIS technology and applications for the fire services [in:] Zlatanova, S., & Li, J. (Eds.). (2007). Geospatial Information Technology for Emergency Response (1st ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203928813 Juszczyk S., Methodology of empirical research in the social sciences. Volume I. Quantitative research, AWF, Katowice 2001. Kowalczyk, A. M., Bajerowski, T., & Ogrodniczak, M. (2020). A Method for Hazard Mapping Illustrated with an Example of Fire Service Interventions. Geomatics and Environmental Engineering, 14(3), 21–40. https://doi.org/10.7494/geom.2020.14.3.21 Litwin L., Myrda G., Geographic Information Systems. Management of spatial data in GIS, SIP, SIT, LIS, Helion, Gliwice 2005. Pirasteh S., Varshosaz M., Geospatial Information Technologies in Support of Disaster Risk Reduction, Mitigation and Resilience: Challenges and Recommendations [in:] Rajabifard, A. (Ed.). (2019). Sustainable Development Goals Connectivity Dilemma: Land and Geospatial Information for Urban and Rural Resilience (1st ed.). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429290626 Priya P. Singh, Chandra S. Sabnani, Vijay S. Kapse, Interpreting Benchmark Assessment of Emergency Fire Service using Geoinformation Technology, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Volume 63, 2021, 102432, ISSN 2212-4209, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2021.102432. Rajs R., Evaluation of student knowledge tests by statistical hypothesis testing methods. Modelling by the (chi-square) method, State University of Krosno, Polytechnic Institute. Gotlib D., Olszewski R., The role of the database of topographic objects in the creation of spatial information infrastructure in Poland, GUGiK, Warsaw 2013. Tomlinson R., Thinking About Geographic GIS, Third Edition, Esri Press 2013. Tyrańska-Wizner K., The use of spatial data in the analysis of operational security in the State Fire Service, doctoral dissertation, SGSP, Warsaw 2021. Zawiśliński B., From simple visualization and informing the public through three-dimensional visualization and analysis using time-varying data, to very advanced threat research and risk management, Application of GIS, Esri Poland, Warsaw 2007. Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of March 14, 2007. (Official Journal of 25.4.2007 L 108/1). Law of March 4, 2010 on spatial information infrastructure ( Polish Journal of Laws 2021, item 214). Law of May 17, 1989. - Geodetic and Cartographic Law ( Polish Journal of Laws 2023, items 1752, 1615, 1688, 1762). Law of August 24, 1991 on fire protection (Polish Journal of Laws 2022, item 2057, 2023, item 1088, 1560). The National Headquartef of State Fire Serive Poland, https://www.straz.gov.pl/panstwowa_straz_pozarna/jednostki_psp?nazwa=kw +psp&voivodship=&county (accessed: January 02, 2024). Accessibility of Warsaw Public Transport, map web service, https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=bceffa42c7814ff0b30628abb0ce42c6 (accessed: January 02, 2024). Crisis Information sources, Crisis Information Centre (CIK), http://www.informacjakryzysowa.pl/nowe-technologie-w-zarzadzaniukryzysowym/systemy-gis-w-ratownictwie (accessed: January 02, 2024). IBM SPSS software, https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/downloading-ibm-spss-statistics-25 (accessed: January 02, 2024). Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, https://prawo.gazetaprawna.pl/artykuly/1053707,informacja-przestrzennaurzedy-informacja-publiczna.html (accessed: January 02, 2024) Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4576319","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":337596870,"identity":"ec075c3a-ad3e-4f7d-b153-9b9b08fcdd08","order_by":0,"name":"Karolina TYRAŃSKA-WIZNER","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Fire University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Karolina","middleName":"","lastName":"TYRAŃSKA-WIZNER","suffix":""},{"id":337596871,"identity":"fad4c2a0-e462-4d26-aff1-e2bd1f95504d","order_by":1,"name":"Marcin SMOLARKIEWICZ","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCBwwMBmxA+gADgw1UCMRlx6MlAaElDUkLMwEtUOZhwlp0+08nPkiouWfMx95jeODHn/Py5uztDxg+lB1mMMehxexG7maDhGPFZmw8ZwwO9vDcNtzZcyCBcca5wwyWzbi08G6TSGBLsGGTyN1wmEHiNuOGGwkHmHnbDjMYHMah5fxZoJZ/QC3yb4FaDM7Zb7iR2MD8F5+WA7nbJBLbEszYJHiBWhIOJG64kczAzIhPC8gviX0Jxmw8+R8O9hxITt7Zc4zhYM+5dB6cfjl/duODD98SDOe3H0v+8OOPne129vaHD36UWcuZszdg14MBQDF0AIh5DAgoRNWCyhgFo2AUjIKRDgB5oGM/bPRGTAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Fire University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Marcin","middleName":"","lastName":"SMOLARKIEWICZ","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-06-13 12:51:15","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4576319/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4576319/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90027-x","type":"published","date":"2025-02-24T15:57:51+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":77622520,"identity":"37890460-3c2c-4f60-95e3-2bdbbee22663","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-03 16:07:52","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":660371,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4576319/v1/9644f655-3665-44a9-a673-7aa32e228125.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eLegal, Organizational and Technical Determinants for the Use of Spatial Data in the State Fire Service in Poland\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eSince the beginning of his existence, man has collected and analysed information about the world around him. He has tried to obtain the most accurate data possible about objects and phenomena located in space. The analysis of the information already available in the past allowed us to make more accurate decisions, which translated into a decisive development of civilization [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRapid technological development has led to fundamental changes in both the acquisition and use of spatial information [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, pp. 11\u0026ndash;13]. The development of computer science has led to the development of systems that use computers to widely manage information about objects and phenomena located in geographic space [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, pp. 14].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn indispensable element of the above system \u0026mdash; the spatial information system [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e] \u0026mdash; is spatial data, which play a very important role in the system in question. One of the main elements of the spatial information system is the spatial database, which consists of a set of data mapping a specific fragment of reality [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. It is also a description of the world around us, space and phenomena [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn analysing the literature, it should be noted that the literature relating to spatial data and how to use it in SFS is extremely scarce [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]. However, there are compact studies relating to the use of spatial information systems and spatial data in many areas of everyday life, such as transport [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e], environmental protection [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e], emergency management [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e], and health care [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. To determine what conditions spatial data correspond to, an analysis of the literature was carried out from legal, technical and organizational perspectives.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe 1990s were characterized by an ever-increasing demand for geoinformation data. The large number of systems in use, databases, standards and legal solutions caused barriers to free access to and use of data. To overcome these barriers, the process of creating spatial data infrastructure (SDI), whose task was to ensure harmonization, as well as the cooperation of existing data and spatial information systems, was launched [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. The above factors contributed to the effective use of geospatial data for sustainable development, as well as the rational management of geo-information resources [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e, pp. 67\u0026ndash;85], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCreating a spatial information system involves implementing data on the description of the surrounding world in information systems to reflect it digitally [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, pp. 2\u0026ndash;4]. The main task for which the spatial information infrastructure was created is to access and use not only individual data or spatial datasets but also all spatial datasets in the daily work of public administration entities [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Currently, the largest holder of spatial datasets in the country is public administration at all levels.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuoting Gadzdzicki, spatial information infrastructure in relation to geo-information, is \"a set of appropriate technologies, political and economic measures and institutional undertakings that facilitate access to and use of spatial data. SDI serves, therefore, for the search, evaluation, transfer and use of data by its users and producers at all levels of government, the economic sector, the social (nonprofit) sector and academia, as well as by citizens in general\" [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. The elements of the spatial information infrastructure were pointed in [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e] Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe role of spatial data services, which are a very important component of spatial information infrastructure, is to guarantee universal and free access to spatial data and metadata for national public authorities, end users, and \"community institutions and bodies, for public tasks that may affect the environment\".\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe INSPIRE Directive defines general conceptual, organizational and legal issues relating to the establishment of spatial information infrastructure in Europe, as well as in all member countries of the European Union. The main tenets of the INSPIRE Directive are as follows [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e]:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe spatial data should be stored, shared, and maintained at an appropriate administrative level.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe ability to combine spatial data from different sources in a unified way,\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eshared use of spatial data by multiple users and multiple applications at each administrative level,\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe sharing of geodata collected at one level by other public entities,\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eguaranteeing the sharing of spatial data under clearly defined conditions,\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe ease of searching the provided spatial data, which makes it possible to find the data resource of interest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnder this directive, the sharing of spatial data is performed through web services [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith a browsing network service, spatial databases can be accessed through interactive visualization. The browsing service enables the creation of a map image based on the provided database. Making spatial information available to public administrations to perform their assigned tasks on a daily basis contributes to more effective decision-making [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. After network services, another technical solution worth looking at from the user's point of view to share spatial data is cloud computing [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. This solution is based \"on sharing a number of services provided by organizations external to the user\". With this solution, the user does not need to build the entire technical infrastructure at home (i.e., equip himself with hardware, software and a spatial database) to perform any spatial analysis at any time and anywhere in the world. All the users need to have a computer with internet access. The provided universal and free access to spatial information greatly simplifies the procedures previously used for sharing and exchanging data between entities at the national and European levels.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBearing in mind the provisions enshrined in the INSPIRE Directive of March 14, 2007, Poland, as a member state of the European Union, was obliged to build a National Spatial Information Infrastructure tailored to its circumstances. In connection with this requirement, on March 4, 2010, Poland implemented the provisions of the INSPIRE Directive in the form of the Spatial Information Infrastructure Act.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe law in question establishes legal mechanisms that provide the basis for achieving interoperability in spatial data, metadata, network services, development and use of spatial information infrastructure. The overriding goal in creating spatial information infrastructure was to guarantee the interoperability of spatial data services and spatial datasets, i.e., the ability to \"link spatial datasets and interoperability of spatial data services, without repetitive manual intervention, in such a way that the result is consistent and the added value of spatial datasets and services is increased\" [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. An important provision in the Law on Spatial Information Infrastructure is Article 14.1, according to which \"spatial datasets and services covered by the infrastructure, maintained by an administrative body, shall be made available free of charge to other administrative bodies to the extent necessary for them to carry out their public tasks\". The central point of access to spatial data services is the spatial information infrastructure geoportal (geoportal.gov.pl), which is managed by the chief geodesist of the country.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe entry into force of the Spatial Information Infrastructure Act of March 4, 2010 necessitated an obligation to amend the Act of May 17, 1989 - Geodetic and Cartographic Law [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. The proposed amendments primarily concerned the adaptation of the datasets of the state geodetic and cartographic resources to the requirements set forth in the Spatial Information Infrastructure Act. In addition, based on Article 4, paragraph 1a of the Act - Geodetic and Cartographic Law and Cartographic Law, an obligation was introduced to create and maintain databases, including spatial datasets of the spatial information infrastructure, in the ICT system. A very important regulation \u0026mdash; from the point of view of the use of spatial data by the State Fire Service \u0026mdash; is the provision of Article 40 (3e) of the Law \u0026mdash; Geodetic and Cartographic Law, which specifies that \"the Chief Land Surveyor, in cooperation with other entities performing public tasks, shall maintain and develop an information and communication system allowing access to spatial data allowing, in particular, for:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eproviding interoperable collections and services related to state geodetic and cartographic resources;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eprovide a communication interface connecting the ICT infrastructure of state geodetic and cartographic resources with the ICT systems of entities performing public tasks by means of interoperable sets and services related to state geodetic and cartographic resources;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe data and services of the state geodetic and cartographic resources are integrated with the datasets and services maintained by the entities referred to in point 2, and the combined and shared datasets are processed and spatial analysis is performed;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e \u003cp\u003eensuring availability and continuity of operation of the system responsible for providing access to data and services of the state geodetic and cartographic resource\".\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/li\u003e \u003c/ul\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on the above provisions, the Chief Geodetic Surveyor of the country makes the spatial data of the Central Geodetic and Cartographic Resources available to any interested user free of charge and without any restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe State Fire Service under Article 14 and item 2 of the Law on Fire Protection [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e] through the State Fire Service Decision Support System (DSS SFS) receives free access to spatial data and services provided through the ICT system mentioned above [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]. The use of geospatial data for fire protection, disaster risk reduction, emergency management and emergency planning has already been discussed [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e], [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e]; however, in this paper, the results of broader research in the field of the dedicated use of spatial information by a particular entity, the Polish State Fire Service, are presented. These results formed the basis for a doctoral dissertation; however, they have not yet been published worldwide [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Research methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe purpose of the research, the results of which are presented in this paper, was to learn about respondents' knowledge of the legal, organizational and technical conditions for the use of spatial data in the SFS. The knowledge possessed outlined the main research problem, which was defined by the following question: \u003cem\u003eHow can spatial data be used in the State Fire Service in Poland\u003c/em\u003e? Answering the main research problem formulated in this way required answering a number of specific questions, particularly: \u003cem\u003eWhat considerations should be taken into account when determining the possibility of using spatial data from the State Fire Service in Poland\u003c/em\u003e? The answer to this question is devoted to this publication, assuming that the results of this research can positively influence the use of spatial data potential in the State Fire Service.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn an effort to solve the main research problem, the research process was carried out in two stages: preliminary research (using theoretical methods) and proper research (using empirical methods) [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs part of the preliminary research, an analysis of the available literature on legal acts relating to the considered research problem was carried out in terms of the possibility of using spatial data in the Polish SFS. For the purposes of the considered research process, the abstraction method was also used to highlight the elements relevant to the conducted research. The last theoretical method used for the purposes of the research under consideration was inference, which made it possible to formulate conclusions. Research proper is the use of an empirical method \u0026mdash; a diagnostic survey \u0026mdash; in the form of a survey using a questionnaire sheet with SFS officers. The survey made it possible to determine what level of knowledge the respondents represented in the use of spatial data in the SFS, which made it possible to formulate conclusions and propose necessary changes. The empirical study, which was conducted using the survey method, was time-limited between May 2019 and July 2019.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe survey tool used was a survey questionnaire, which was a substantively and graphically structured list of questions on the use of spatial data in the SFS. Following Juszczyk, the chosen method of dissemination of the questionnaire in question is classified as environmental surveys, i.e., directly disseminated in a given environment [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. The developed survey questionnaire was distributed by e-mail to all provincial headquarters of the State Fire Service and subordinate district (city) headquarters of the State Fire Service. The survey questionnaire was aimed at a small group of SFS officers who serve in operational departments and use spatial data in their work to carry out their duties (the most important tasks of the operations department in the SFS include analysing the state of operational security of a given city/county/province area and the state of preparedness of the command for the organization of rescue operations during the occurrence of extraordinary threats, disasters or natural disasters, developing rescue plans and their ongoing updating, and analysing the rescue operations carried out). Participation in the survey was voluntary. The scope of research didn\u0026rsquo;t compromise the sensitive data of the respondents. The questionnaire was fully anonymous and the selection of questions and answers made it impossible to identify the identity of those providing answers. The research methods used were employed in accordance with the guidelines set out in the \u0026ldquo;Procedure for the Procedure for the Award of the Doctoral Degree at the Main School of Fire Service in the Extramural Mode\u0026rdquo;, which is an annex to Resolution No. 38 of the Senate of the Main School of Fire Service, dated 25.09.2019. At the time of the research (2019), there was no Research Ethics Committee in the Main School of Fire Service (now the Fire Academy). However, the research process was approved and adopted by the Doctoral Committee.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe survey questionnaire consisted of 21 closed questions, including 16 single-choice questions and five multiple-choice questions. Several questions in the survey were asked, following Juszczyk, with the so-called cafeteria, a package of possible answers [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, pp. 75]. The survey questionnaire included closed cafeterias (with a certain number of answers) and semiopen cafeterias (several answers with a final item called \u0026ldquo;Other\u0026rdquo;). The survey questionnaire also included questions in the form of alternatives, which gave the respondent the opportunity to choose an answer from two options, \"Yes\" or \"No\", and a third possible answer, \"I have no knowledge.\" The survey also included questions on the so-called metrics. The answers to these questions provided information about the demographic and social characteristics of the officers who participated in the survey. Only 12 questions thematically related to the survey in question were used to consider the specific research problem specified in the publication. The thematic questions were related to legal acts that allow spatial data to be obtained free of charge by the SFS, legal acts that regulate the free use of spatial data by the SFS, computer equipment available to the SFS, the type of spatial data visualization software available to the SFS, barriers to the use of spatial data in the SFS, and the amount of training received by officers on the subject of the possibility of using spatial data in the SFS.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFollowing Okon, the definition of a sample is defined in statistics as an appropriately selected group of elements of a given community, which constitutes a population. Therefore, it is possible to obtain relevant results and draw conclusions based on them, and the size of the research sample was determined. For this purpose, the sample size was determined [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor the purposes of the study, the test significance level was α\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.05, and the confidence coefficient was \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u003cem\u003e1 - α\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.95. From the tables of the distribution of the normal distribution N, it was determined that the value of the half confidence interval for the confidence coefficient \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.95 is \u003cem\u003eZ\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.96. For the purposes of this publication, a maximum estimation error of \u003cem\u003ed\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4% was assumed. Taking the above assumptions into account, it was determined that the number \u003cem\u003eN\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;353 is the group of respondents (officers) from the SFS who use spatial data. The number 353 represents the number of SFS commands \u0026mdash; provincial, district, and city (16, 271, and 66, respectively). It was assumed (based on pilot studies; this survey was carried out during the scientific and practical seminar \"GIS in PSP\" organized by the Main School of Fire Service in cooperation with the Chojnice SFS, Warsaw, MSFS, 12.04. 2018, which was attended by 120 officers of the State Fire Service.) that one person in a given command uses spatial data. The number of fire stations was determined based on data posted on the website of the National Fire Service Headquarters [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Using formula from [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e] and the assumed values of Z\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.96, for a confidence level of 0.95 and d\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4% (maximum error), the minimum size of the research sample n\u003csub\u003eb\u003c/sub\u003e = 222 was determined. The survey yielded 244 survey questionnaires. This number is therefore sufficient to take the results obtained as representative research.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results of the study with discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eBased on the results, 242 (99.2%) of the 244 respondents were men, and 2 (0.8%) were women. The participants of the empirical study were officers of (provincial, district/municipal) Polish SFS commands. The largest percentage of respondents represented district SFS headquarters (66%), which is justified by the number of district SFS headquarters in relation to city or provincial SFS headquarters in the country. The largest group of respondents by province were those representing the Wielkopolska (14.3%) and Mazovia (13.9%) provinces, which is related to the number of SFS organizational units in those provinces. Another variable characterizing the respondents was length of service. The largest group among the officers surveyed were those with more than 15 years of service (29.9%) and those with more than 10 years up to and including 15 years of service (29.5%).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn search of an answer to the research problem posed, it was first necessary to determine whether the legal, technical and organizational solutions were sufficient to use spatial data in the SFS commands.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom an analysis of the available legal acts, it is clear that the SFS has access to spatial data provided by state entities. On the other hand, the research showed (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) that 68.9% (168 respondents) of the respondents were not aware of a legal act that would regulate the above issue. Another very important issue was to determine (regarding technical conditions) whether the spatial data visualization hardware and software in the SFS met the requirements. For this purpose, several questions were asked to verify the above issue (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Regarding the question about IT equipment, as many as 61.9% of all surveyed officers answered \"Yes\" affirmatively, confirming that the computers on the SFS organizational unit's equipment have adequate parameters for working with spatial data. The remaining group (38.1% of respondents) declared the lack of suitable computer equipment in their SFS organizational unit. On the other hand, regarding spatial data visualization software, more than 54% of the officers answered \"Yes\" affirmatively, indicating that spatial data visualization software is sufficient for use. The remaining 45.9% of respondents believe that spatial data visualization software does not meet their expectations. Another question pertaining to conditions of a technical nature was the use of spatial data visualization software. The respondents' answers to this question may seem surprising, as 52.9% of respondents answered that spatial data visualization software is not used in their organizational units, although 54.1% of respondents declared that spatial data visualization software in their commands is sufficient to use spatial data. Thus, some people declare not using the available software to facilitate their work with spatial data, despite their hardware and software availability.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuantitative distribution of responses regarding the legal and technical conditions for the use of spatial data in the State Fire Service in Poland\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"9\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eKnowledge of the legal acts that allow the PSP to obtain spatial data free of charge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDoes the IT equipment - computers have sufficient parameters to use spatial data without interference\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDoes the IT equipment - computers have sufficient parameters to use spatial data without interference\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUse of spatial data visualization software\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYES\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31,1%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61,9%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e151\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54,1%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e132\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47,1%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e115\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNO\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e68,9%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e168\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38,1%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45,9%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e112\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52,9%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e129\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e244\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e244\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e244\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e244\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"9\"\u003eN - number of respondents\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSource: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. \"Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service\", SGSP, Warsaw 2021.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn an attempt to verify the correctness of the declaration contained in the question on knowledge of the legal acts that enable the free use of spatial data, a question focused on the core of knowledge of the legal acts was asked: which legal act, to your knowledge, regulates the possibility of free use of spatial data by the State Fire Service? Of all respondents, only 15.6% gave the correct answer, pointing to the correct legal act, i.e., the law on spatial information infrastructure. It should be taken into account that of the 168 people who declared that they did not know the relevant legal acts regulating the above issues, as many as 20 people gave the correct answer. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e presents a quantitative summary of the answers given to the above questions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuantitative distribution of responses for legal acts regulating the possibility of free use of spatial data by the State Fire Service in Poland\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLegal acts on free use of spatial data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eINSPIRE Directive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7,4%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLaw on spatial information infrastructure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15,6%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLaw on geodesy and cartography\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22,1%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLaw on Fire Protection\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3,7%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI have no knowledge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e125\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51,2%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e244\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eN - number of respondents\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSource: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. \"Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service\", SGSP, Warsaw 2021.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo answer the question regarding the type of software used to visualize spatial data, officers of the State Fire Service were asked to indicate responses identifying the type of software for visualizing the data in question. Of all the respondents, the largest number indicated that \"free\" software for working with spatial data is used in their command, accounting for 36.5% of the responses. The answers given to the questions showed that 26.2% of those surveyed \"have no knowledge\" in the given area. The fewest respondents marked \"Commercial,\" accounting for 3.3% of all the responses. Such a result may have to do with the high costs that the command has to bear when deciding on commercial software. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e presents a quantitative summary of the answers given to the above questions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuantitative distribution of responses by type of spatial data visualization software used by Polish State Fire Service respondents.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eType of spatial data visualization software\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFree\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e89\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36,5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCommercial\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3,3%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFree and commercial\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14,8%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI have no knowledge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26,2%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo software\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19,3%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e244\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"3\"\u003eN - number of respondents\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSource: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. \"Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service\", SGSP, Warsaw 2021.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConsidering the organizational nature of the use of spatial data, an important issue analysed as part of this publication was the barriers that hinder the use of spatial data by SFS organizational units. In an effort to identify impediments to the use of spatial data, respondents were asked to indicate (by multiple choice) the likely barriers that may complicate the use of spatial data in the SFS. The respondents overwhelmingly identified the barrier that complicates the use of spatial data as \"Lack of training in the field in question\" \u0026mdash; 70.1% of respondents. Other barriers preventing the use of spatial data identified by respondents include a lack of commitment of people, lack of top-down guidance in the use of spatial data, and lack of appropriate software for visualizing spatial data. Other barriers that officers have pointed out are the excessive amount of duties imposed on officers to engage in something new, lack of time to explore spatial data topics, and too much and incomprehensible description of spatial data that causes chaos in its use. Of those surveyed, only 14.3% (35 people) indicated that, in their opinion, \"there are no barriers to using free spatial data,\" which may indicate little access to training, software, financial outlays, etc. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e shows the distribution of responses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuantitative distribution of responses for identified barriers to the use of spatial data by the organizational units of the State Fire Service in Poland\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIdentified barriers to the use of spatial data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of involvement of people\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34,4%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of needs in the use of spatial data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21,3%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of appropriate software to visualize spatial data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35,2%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of appropriate equipment to create analysis using spatial data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27,0%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of training in the subject area\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e171\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70,1%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of top-down guidelines in the use of spatial data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e97\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39,8%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInsufficient funding\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e72\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29,5%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are no barriers to using free spatial data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14,3%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOther\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4,1%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"3\"\u003eN - number of respondents\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSource: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. \"Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service\", SGSP, Warsaw 2021.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnother very important area was to determine whether SFS officers participate in dedicated training on the use of spatial data. To this end, a question relating to the above question was asked: How much training on the use of spatial data by public authorities have you participated in? The results in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e show that more than 66% of officers (163 people) had never participated in training on spatial data use opportunities. This has to do with the barriers limiting the use of spatial data, as noted by respondents when answering an earlier question.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDistribution of responses regarding the number of trainings on the use of spatial data by public administration entities (received by SFS officers)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber of training sessions held\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eN\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e163\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66,8%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24,2%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4,9%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0,8%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMore than 3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3,3%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e244\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eN - number of respondents\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSource: Own elaboration based on the doctoral dissertation Tyrańska-Wizner K. \"Use of spatial data in the analysis of operational support in the State Fire Service\", SGSP, Warsaw 2021.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results show that one in four respondents attended only one training course on spatial data, and less than 5% of respondents (12 people) participated in two trainings. Such disparities in the answers given may have to do with the costs that commands would have to bear in subsidizing training for officers on a given topic \u0026mdash; the use of spatial data. To even disproportionate results, a viable solution for the time being seems to be that training centers operating at provincial headquarters of the SFS, as part of their in-service training, should introduce specialized courses on the subject in question.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition to the analysis of the frequency distribution of responses, for the purposes of this publication, a statistical analysis of the correlation of survey results was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 package [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. Due to the nominal variables and the small number of categories/groups, a series of nonparametric tests were performed using the above software. Nonparametric tests are used to \"decompose a community according to a specific characteristic rather than its parameters\" [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]. The nonparametric chi-square independence test (χ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e) was used in the statistical analysis. Test χ\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e provides the ability to determine the probability of \"the occurrence of phenomenon \u003cem\u003eX\u003c/em\u003e when phenomenon \u003cem\u003eY\u003c/em\u003e exists and vice versa\". By conducting an independence test χ\u003csup\u003e2,\u003c/sup\u003e one has knowledge only of whether there is a relationship between the variables. To carry out statistical inference, it is very important to determine the level of significance which determines the probability of making an error under the assumption that there is a correlation between the variables under study. In the social sciences, the test probability value \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e is assumed to be significant if \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor the purposes of this paper, only correlations in which the statistical independence test reached statistical significance were considered. The publication presents the most significant conclusions after the result of the statistical independence test resulting from the research conducted for Tyrańska-Wizner's doctoral dissertation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKnowledge of the legal acts governing the possibility of obtaining spatial data free of charge is weakly dependent on whether there are barriers to the use of spatial data at the respondents' place of duty. Respondents who declare familiarity with the acts in question are less likely to indicate barriers such as lack of need for the use of spatial data and lack of appropriate software for visualizing spatial data than those who do not know the acts in question that allow them to obtain spatial data free of charge. In addition, a greater percentage of those claiming familiarity with the acts responded to the lack of barriers to using free spatial data than did those who did not know the act data.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe IT equipment (computers) available in the Polish SFS organizational units is adequate (in terms of parameters) to work on spatial data using any type of spatial data visualization software. The choice of barriers to the use of spatial data is weakly dependent on whether there is sufficient spatial data visualization software at the respondents' place of duty. Respondents who say that they do not have sufficient software at their place of duty to use spatial data are more likely than those who have sufficient software at their place of duty to report barriers such as lack of adequate spatial data visualization software, lack of adequate equipment to create analysis using spatial data, lack of training in the subject area, and insufficient financial resources. In contrast, those who indicated that they had sufficient spatial data visualization software at their place of service reported no barriers compared to those who did not have sufficient software at their place of service. However, the use of spatial data visualization software is, on average, dependent on whether there\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eis such software in a given SFS organizational unit. Knowledge of the legislation governing the possibility of free use of spatial data is weakly dependent on whether the survey participant has received training in the use of spatial data. More than half of the surveyed people who had not been to any training on this topic answered \"I have no knowledge.\" On the other hand, those who had participated in two trainings mostly chose the answer concerning the Surveying and Cartographic Law. The respondents who attended more than three trainings mainly responded to the spatial information infrastructure law. The choice of barriers to the use of spatial data is not strongly dependent on the number of trainings the respondents have attended. Those who have not received any training are more likely than those who have received training to report barriers such as a lack of appropriate software for visualizing spatial data. Respondents who have not attended any training or who have attended only one training session are more likely to report a lack of training in the subject area than other respondents. In contrast, those who have attended two training sessions are more likely to report that there are no barriers to using free spatial data than those who have attended one or fewer training sessions.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Summary and conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn summary, over the past few years, Poland has made significant progress towards the development of spatial information infrastructure [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. The creation of a national spatial information infrastructure has contributed to ensuring the consistency of the spatial data infrastructures of European Union (EU) member states.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe hypothesis defined for the purpose of this publication: \u003cem\u003eConditions of the following nature \u0026mdash; legal, organizational and technical \u0026mdash; should be taken into account to determine the possibility of using spatial data in the\u003c/em\u003e SFS \u0026mdash; was verified. The results of the study of documents, including legal acts on spatial data, outlined a picture to which spatial data can be made available free of charge and on whom the duty to manage the spatial database rests. The above discussion proves that without defining legal, organizational and technical assumptions, spatial data cannot be fully used. The research conducted showed that the greatest limitation in the use of spatial data identified by respondents is the lack of organization of training for SFS officers in the indicated area and the lack of procedures defining for what purposes the spatial data provided should be used. The above is confirmed by the research of Gawronski [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e], who believes that there is no developed single standard (for all organizational units) for the use of spatial data and that there are barriers to the use of spatial data resulting from, among other things, freedom in the form of the use of maps and information systems and the lack of a designated person in a given organizational unit to address the acquisition, updating, editing, and visualization of spatial data. There are also no developed procedures for determining which spatial data should be used to conduct a specific analysis, such as the deployment of specialized equipment, impediments to conducting rescue operations due to terrain that is difficult to access, etc. A lack of adequate training results in the abandonment of a technologically developed spatial information system, which results in a failure to realize the potential of spatial data. Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Poland, recognizing the potential of the spatial information system and thus spatial data, organized a GIS training course within the walls of the Central School of the State Fire Service in Częstochowa in June 2023, with the aim of creating and maintaining a unified GIS platform for the State Fire Service. The new GIS platform is a universal tool for the SFS to plan and support operational activities. The platform is integrated with the redesigned DSS-SFS system to ensure seamless use of data. Tomlinson expresses the view that \"(...) even the world's best GIS development plan will not succeed without the participation of a properly prepared staff\" [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eK.T.-W. did a research under the guidance of M.S. and wrote a preliminary manuscript text. K.T. also prepared tables 1-5. M.S. did a revision of the preliminary text of the manuscript and prapared the last version\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the Fire University, it is not currently the practice to share the raw data used for dissertation development. However, the datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col class=\"decimal_type\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAla\u0026rsquo; Kassab, Steve Liang, Yang Gao, Real-time notification and improved situational awareness in fire emergencies using geospatial-based publish/subscribe, International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, Volume 12, Issue 6, 2010, Pages 431-438, ISSN 1569-8432, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2010.04.001.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBaranowski M., Geoinformation infrastructures and spatial information infrastructure in Europe [in:] Białousz S., Bielecka E., INSPIRE and the National Spatial Information Infrastructure, theoretical foundations and practical aspects, GUGiK, Warsaw 2011.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKok B., van Loenen B., How to assess the success of National Spatial Data Infrastructures?, Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, Volume 29, Issue 6, 2005, Pages 699-717, ISSN 0198-9715, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2004.02.001\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBielecka E. 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(Official Journal of 25.4.2007 L 108/1).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLaw of March 4, 2010 on spatial information infrastructure ( Polish Journal of Laws 2021, item 214).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLaw of May 17, 1989. - Geodetic and Cartographic Law ( Polish Journal of Laws 2023, items 1752, 1615, 1688, 1762).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLaw of August 24, 1991 on fire protection (Polish Journal of Laws 2022, item 2057, 2023, item 1088, 1560).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe National Headquartef of State Fire Serive Poland, https://www.straz.gov.pl/panstwowa_straz_pozarna/jednostki_psp?nazwa=kw +psp\u0026amp;voivodship=\u0026amp;county (accessed: January 02, 2024).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAccessibility of Warsaw Public Transport, map web service, https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=bceffa42c7814ff0b30628abb0ce42c6 (accessed: January 02, 2024).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCrisis Information sources, Crisis Information Centre (CIK), http://www.informacjakryzysowa.pl/nowe-technologie-w-zarzadzaniukryzysowym/systemy-gis-w-ratownictwie (accessed: January 02, 2024).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIBM SPSS software, https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/downloading-ibm-spss-statistics-25 (accessed: January 02, 2024).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDziennik Gazeta Prawna, https://prawo.gazetaprawna.pl/artykuly/1053707,informacja-przestrzennaurzedy-informacja-publiczna.html (accessed: January 02, 2024)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"spatial information system, GIS, spatial data, state fire service","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4576319/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4576319/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis article presents the results of research aimed at verifying the following hypothesis: to determine the possibility of using spatial data for the needs of the State Fire Service (SFS), one should take into account conditions of the following nature: legal, organizational and technical. The research, carried out using the survey method in Poland, was limited to a group of SFS officers of provincial and district (city) commands who actively use spatial data in their professional work. The statistically significant results confirmed the validity of the adopted hypothesis, which should be considered to be positively verified.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Legal, Organizational and Technical Determinants for the Use of Spatial Data in the State Fire Service in Poland","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-08-12 12:26:53","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4576319/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-11-26T09:16:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-11-11T20:43:55+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"314444357247118881551685733185050998325","date":"2024-10-27T18:47:12+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-09-28T21:39:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"59906082109560936145785868416827610833","date":"2024-09-25T22:10:31+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"173216284861311123539455467755472542146","date":"2024-09-25T19:56:21+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-09-25T11:56:22+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-09-24T05:41:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2024-07-23T03:56:36+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-07-18T04:27:33+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2024-06-13T12:48:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"8d46fa29-3b7a-4179-a527-dd62dfec05f0","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 12th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":35926511,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Natural hazards"},{"id":35926512,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering/Civil engineering"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-03-03T16:01:56+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4576319","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90027-x","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-02-24 15:57:51","publishedOnDateReadable":"February 24th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-08-12 12:26:53","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-90027-x","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90027-x","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4576319","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4576319","identity":"rs-4576319","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}