On January 30, members of the Turkish parliament voted in favour of the proposed amendment to the law regulating the acquisition, collection, dissemination and trading of spatial data falling within the responsibility matrix of Turkish National Geographic Information System. The law has officially been put into practice on February 20, with nationwide uncertainties on how it will be enforced, and on what level.

With the law, the sole responsibility and authority on the national spatial data index is given to the Ministry of Environmental and Urban Affairs. Acquisition, collection, dissemination and trading of spatial data which is defined within the National Spatial Data Responsibility Matrix by third party individuals or legal entities are subject to prior approval of the ministry. Moreover, the approval will be subject to a fee of 25₺ for native, 50₺ for foreign parties per each 1/1000 plan corresponding to the study region(s) from the national topographical grid.

The data layers which are included in the national spatial data responsibility list is as follows:

1. Coordinate Reference Systems and Geographical Grid Systems 
2. Administrative Units 
3. Geographical Names 
4. Cadastre 
5. Buildings 
6. Addresses 
7. Elevation 
8. Orthophoto 
9. Transportation Networks 
10. Hydrography 
11. Geology 
12. Land Cover 
13. Land Use 
14. Soil Types 
15. Protection Areas 
16. Natural Risk Regions 
17. Infrastructure 
18. Energy Resources 
19. Mines 
20. Public Health and Safety 
21. Populaiton Demographics 
22. Environmental Monitoring Facilities 
23. Industrial Facilities 
24. Agricultural Facilities 
25. Public Administration Regions 
26. Flora and Fauna 
27. Habitat Zones 
28. Biogeographical Zones 
29. Sea and Saltwater Regions 
30. Atmospherical Data 
31. Meteorological Data 
32. NUTS Data

The talk will reflect and report the developments in Turkey after the law, effects and implications drawn focusing on the national spatial sector, OSM, and the Turkish OSM community.