Federal ministries

The Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) is a member of AdV. Division H II 5 "Geoinformation" in the Department of Community, Subdivision H II Equal Living Conditions, Demography, Municipalities promotes the provision of geoinformation, provides information on its possible uses, spurs the use of geoinformation and corresponding standards and asumes the coordinating function between the parties involved in geoinformation within the federal administration, including through the Interministerial Committee for Geoinformation (IMAGI), as well as in dialogue with the Laender, e.g. within the framework of AdV and the Spatial Data Infrastructure Germany (GDI-DE). It supervises the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG), the central service provider and competence centre for geoinformation and geodetic reference systems of the federal government.

The BKG deals with the collection and data management as well as the analysis and combination of geospatial data up to their provision and their use in applications. The work of the BKG serves federal institutions in particular. In addition, the public administration of federal states and municipalities as well as economy, science and almost every citizen in Germany bene􀂿t. Experts from a wide range of fields such as transport, disaster prevention, homeland security, energy, and the environment use geodata, maps, reference systems, service and information services as well as applications from the BKG for their work.

The BKG fulfls in particular the following tasks in the field of geoinformation and geodesy (in cooperation with the Laender if required):

• The provision, editing and presentation of up-to-date analogue and digital topographic and cartographic information and the further development of the necessary processes and methods,
• the provision and maintenance of the geodetic reference networks of the Federal Republic of Germany, and
• the representation of the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany in the field of geodesy and geoinformation in the international arena.

The Federal Ministry Digital and Transport (BMV) has been a member of AdV since 1950. Division DP23 coordinates the multi-layered use of geospatial reference information provided by the Laender within the Ministry and its executive agencies with more than 17 higher-level authorities and the transfer of know-how from surveying units of the “wet” directorates-general (i.e. waterways and shipping) to AdV.

• The Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV) is responsible for the maintenance (in terms of traffc and water-management) of the federal waterways (around 7,300 km of inland waterways and around 23,000 km² of sea waterways). In addition to its maintenance obligations, the WSV is also responsible for ensuring traffic safety on federal waterways. The Department for Surveying/Geoinformation provides, among other things, georeferenced data, processed into user-oriented products, e.g. on water depths and the topography of the waterbed. Offcial surveying tasks are carried out nationwide, which require close coordination within AdV. The WSV maintains its own basic network (position and elevation control points) along the waterways and maintains digital map series, the contents of which are incorporated into the ATKIS®-Basis-DLM: the Inland ENC (navigation chart for inland waterway transport) and the DBWK, the WSV's base map at a scale of 1:2,000. In addition, the ‘WSV transport network’ provides important information on the course and kilometrage of federal waterways.
• For the maritime sector, the Federal Maritime, and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) performs marine surveys in the German North Sea and Baltic Sea – the most navigated waters in the world. Maritime surveys and maritime cartography provide necessary basic information for environmental protection, the construction of offshore installations, coastal protection, and hydraulic engineering. The area surveyed of the BSH covers around 57,000 km², which is equivalent to one sixth of the land area of Germany. This area is displayed on a set of nautical charts with around 317 datasets for electronic navigational chart systems plus 139 nautical charts in paper format. In addition, comprehensive datasets on the current and historical chemical, physical and biological condition of the water column in the German territorial sea plus operational information and forecasting services for the water levels, the tides, sell anddrift are provided via a web-based spatial data portal as a maritime component of the Spatial Data Infrastructure Germany (GDI Germany).
• The “Geodesy and Remote Sensing” division of the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) advises the BMV and curently supports WSV in performing functions in the fields of geodetic measurement networks and engineering geodesy, surveying of water bodies, geotopography and construction surveying as well as the remote sensing issues. The expertise required for the provision of specialist scientific advice is present within the scope of applied research and project implementation. In this context, intensive cooperation with universities and other research establishments is obligatory to contribute to departmental research. Analogous to the maritime component in the BSH geodataportal, the BfG operates a geoportal under the leadership of the ‘Geodata Centre, WasserBLIcK, GRDC’ department, which focuses on national inland waters. In addition to the obligatory functions of digital networking in the world of geodata, the geoportal provides access to relevant, nationally harmonised data from water management authorities in Germany.
• In addition, the BMV is responsible within the federal government for the European Union's “Copernicus” earth observation program. 

All agencies and higher-level authorities cooperate closely with the surveying authorities of the Laender and in the AdV working parties. Their activities focus on the exchange of information regarding topography, information technology and spatial reference, as well as the use of SAPOS^®-Dienste services, especially in the oversea
reception range.