Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have become an indispensable tool for managing and using spatial environmental information. Russian and Norwegian authorities, industries need this information daily in their professional function and business. Despite the great base of knowledge of spatially environmental data collected by the developing petroleum industry, authorities, and scientific institutions, there are no effective structure for the effective coordination and sharing of these data. 

The concept of a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) has been implemented in many parts of the world, and provides now a framework of standards, policies, data, procedures, and technology to support the effective coordination and dissemination of spatial information across many sectors and levels of government and society.  This SDI framework is considered by the partners as a starting point for the development of a Joint Norwegian – Russian Environmental Data Portal (JNREDP) based on international SDI standards, and also link JNREDP to the growing global network of shareable environmental knowledge.
The development of the JNREDP infrastructure will help improve access to available spatial data, promote its reuse, and ensure that additional investment in spatial information collection and management results in an ever-growing, readily available and useable network of information.
The information infrastructure can built on mainstream geospatial portal concepts and tools, although it is necessary to develop special needs specific for the JNREDP program, including the development of metadata standard.
The JNREDP is intended to interconnect information sharing nodes across the Internet between Norwegian and Russian institutions, and in some cases over secure networks to share information with one another openly. However, building this kind of data portal is a long-term process that will require coordination and collaboration between the many data producing scientists, institutions and management agencies.
The workshops between Norwegian and Russian institutions in the initial phase of the data cooperation, have shown that there exists a broad list of fundamental data layers from the Barents region showing topographical, metric, infrastructure etc. Existing geospatial data producers in the two countries have considerable GIS and mapping experience and expect to manage and maintain geospatial data specific to their mission in the future. The custodianship for specific data layers should remain with lead organizations that currently collect and maintain this type of information.