GIS and security

On the one hand, reliable data quality and the speed of processing data has great advantages in terms of the timeliness of data and the tasks to be performed on it. At the same time, it also presents a challenge regarding terrorism: terrorists love reliable and detailed information. GIS and security or in general data and security are therefore important topics in the international world, according to Danny van Hooren, director of SmallToGo. 

It can be seen everywhere: the sabotage of gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the study of wind turbines in the North Sea, cyber attacks on energy companies and so on. "Here and there, even external employees of certain nationalities have been removed from their positions to prevent data from falling into the wrong hands. But what is noticeable of this in practice when a project is launched?"

First of all, when obtaining a position within an energy company, it is important to be able to produce a certificate of good conduct, Danny knows. "In addition, various documents of confidentiality of information are signed. The integrity of a person plays a big role here. But measures are also taken within an application, in this case working with geographic information. Especially for geographic applications, the data is even more interesting because it also records location data of pipes."

To comply with certain rules and the ISO standard regarding data security, there are rules set forth in the ISO 27001. "Better known as the acronym ISMS," Danny says. "This stands for Information Security Management System. To qualify for ISO certification, a company must meet a whole set of rules before receiving ISO certification. And it is also tested for it. This is also called an audit. So a certification once obtained means that a company has to constantly adhere to it. With that, a company will constantly be required to protect its data as best it can and counter cyber attacks."

Creating and sharing maps is fun and beautiful, but soon a little too much information can be shared, Danny explains. "So staying vigilant on what information goes out plays a big role in network security. This applies to all networks. Infrastructure such as roads, waterways and various visible elements such as windmills, dams, levees and the like are not directly out of sight in the first place, but the location of stations, transformer houses and pumping stations are."

Much data is now available through pdok.co.uk, among others, however, energy companies are wary of sharing "too much" information. "Also within your company, pay attention to what information is sensitive, what is shared and for what purpose data is used. If you would like to have an investigation into whether you are sharing too much or too sensitive (geographic) data, feel free to contact us."