The location of the CENTROPE region, at the intersection of four countries, is unique in Europe. CENTROPE exemplifies the diversity of its constituent regions. The two EU capital cities of Bratislava and Vienna, whose agglomerations are separated by a mere 50 kilometres, the cities of Brno and Györ, as regionally significant urban centres, as well as numerous other eminent and attractive cities, are the powerhouses of an economically and culturally expanding European region. Across more than 50.000 square kilometres, along the rivers Danube (Donau), Morava (March), Vah (Waag), and Rába (Raab), strong regions join in which - together even more than individually - stand for innovation, creativity, growth, openness, and diversity. For a common development of this region, cross-border access to adjusted and standardized spatial data sets is essential. The aim of CentropeMAP is to provide an interface for geodata stored in four different countries. The project was initialized in the year 2003 introducing a base map of the region on behalf of the public planning association PGO, a co-operation of the three Austrian federal provinces Lower Austria, Burgenland and Vienna. In the beginning, data exchange took place only offline by distributing CD-ROMs among the project partners.

The CentropeMAP web including a map server client went on air in the year 2005. Since this time the user receives maps showing data from servers all over the region together in the same view. Having established and permanently improved the online CentropeMAP portal since 2006, there will be very soon an important extension: CentropeSTATISTICS includes also statistic data for the whole region. Again, datasets come from local authorities and are put together in the same table. These data can be queried, exported, aggregated, and even visualised via the CentropeMAP portal.

In the first step of CentropeSTATISTICS (2008/2009) the tables and datasets are stored centrally at the CentropeMAP server. Administrative structures in the four countries are still too different from each other so that locally stored statistic data that can be queried remotely is still a dream of the future although there is no problem of realisation from the technical point of view.

Regular meetings (approximately twice a year) with representatives from the statistic offices of the regions and countries help to ensure that all efforts are put on a solid, official ground. In an upcoming phase of CentropeSTATISTICS also spatial planning experts will be invited to these workshops to help specify the data demand. A prototype version is already running, the first release availabe for the public is expected at the beginning of 2009.

CENTROPE and CentropeMAP are projects aimed at developing a multilateral, binding and lasting cooperative strategy for the "Central European Region".

• CENTROPE and CentropeMAP will assist in coordinating existing and future multilateral cross-border activities, providing new incentives, and mobilising public, commercial and social bodies for the common goal of strengthening the region as a whole.
• CENTROPE and CentropeMAP rely on the professional management of interfaces and development in order to foster synergies between, and for the benefit of, as many areas as possible. CENTROPE will mobilise and engage the public, commercial and social entitieswho seek to strengthen the region    as a whole.
• CENTROPE and CentropeMAP thus support both research and training as well as the economy and the labour market, with regional development, infrastructures, culture, marketing of local areas and public relations work.

http://www.centropemap.org/