With the "Geographic Data Permissions Regulation" prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, the permission system for geographical data, which forms the basis of decision-making processes in many fields from urban planning to transportation, from energy to agriculture, has been rearranged.
According to the statement made by the Ministry, the Geographic Data Permissions Regulation came into force after being published in the Official Gazette.
With the new legislation, the Geographic Data Permissions Regulation and the Geographic Data License Regulation, which came into force in 2021, were abolished and the rules regarding geographical data permissions were brought together in a single regulation.
The new regulation aims to record the geographical data activities of the private sector, produce the data in accordance with national standards, and keep information about these data up to date on the National Geographic Information Platform.
According to the regulation, permit applications will be made through the Ministry's electronic infrastructure before starting the activity.
In the application, the field of activity, the region to be worked in, relevant geographical data themes and the requested permit period will be specified, and the evaluation result will be notified to the applicant within 30 days from the date of application.
The geographical data permit will be issued for a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 5 years. For companies with branches, a single permit on behalf of the headquarters will be sufficient.
Qualified personnel requirement was introduced for companies operating in the sector
With the regulation, professional competence in the field of geographical information systems was added to the basic conditions for obtaining a permit. Legal entities that will operate throughout the country or in more than one province are required to employ a Geographic Information System Specialist, and those who will work in smaller areas are required to employ a Geographic Information System Operator.
Thus, it was aimed to increase qualified employment in the sector. In addition, Turkish citizen real persons and companies that started commercial activities for the first time in the current year were exempt from the permit fee of that year, providing economic convenience to new entrepreneurs.
Applicants will declare in writing that they have taken the necessary measures for the confidentiality, integrity, accessibility and security of data and information systems. Criminal records of the personnel to be employed will also be taken into account in the evaluation.
Foreign real persons and legal entities will be asked to provide documents regarding their commercial activities in their own countries, as well as letters of undertaking made with the persons and companies with whom they will carry out their activities in Türkiye. Thus, Türkiye's geographical data can be effectively monitored by whom, in what context and for what purpose.
Permit holders will submit activity reports regarding their work and metadata records of geographical data to the electronic infrastructure of the Ministry every 12 months.
The permit may be suspended if incorrect or incomplete information is provided in the application, contractual obligations are not complied with, or necessary qualifications are lost. If the deficiencies are not corrected within 60 days or a situation that is contrary to national security or threatens the country's interests is detected, the permit will be canceled.
The data needed in disaster and emergency situations will be shared with the Ministry free of charge.
The regulation also ensures fast and reliable access to geographical data needed in disaster and emergency management. Permit holders will share the geographical data they produce within the scope of their work with the Ministry, free of charge, upon the request of the Ministry, through web services in accordance with international standards (OGC) for use before and after disasters and emergencies.
Thus, it will be possible to use up-to-date geographical data in decision support processes at every stage, from pre-disaster risk analyzes to intervention and recovery studies.
In the regulation, strict security measures and notification obligations were introduced in order to monitor by whom and for what purpose Türkiye's geographical data were collected.
If it is determined that activities are carried out without obtaining permission, an administrative fine of the maximum 1-year permit fee will be imposed on real persons and legal entities who do not apply within the given period, and an administrative fine of twice this amount will be imposed on foreign individuals and companies.
