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SRF at the Data for Policy 2026 in Barcelona

Buidlings at the campus of Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona

© Lucas Reckhaus

Lucas Reckhaus during a presentation at the conference "Data for Policy"

© Lucas Reckhaus

How do we bridge the gap between complex geodata sets and applied strategic spatial planning at various levels?

The SRF addressed this question with two presentations (delivered by Lucas Reckhaus) at the Data for Policy 2026, which this year focused on the theme “Governance of/with AI: Implications for Data, Infrastructure, and Tech Sovereignty” and took place from 8 to 10 September 2026 at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. Reckhaus provided insights into his dissertation on mapping critical infrastructure, while also presenting an SRF project on monitoring land use for BMLUK. Both projects aim to transform fragmented spatial data into usable, evidence-based foundations for policy.

In the “Funding AI” session, Reckhaus presented his dissertation project under the title “Critical Infrastructure Alignment to Regional Planning Outcomes: A Governance and Asset Knowledge Graph for Planning-Relevant Evidence in Austria.” Governance requirements and spatial infrastructure data are rarely analysed together. To change this, a national knowledge graph is being developed that links four critical sectors: energy, transportation, water, and telecommunications.

  • Scope: Over 1.2 million nodes and 1.09 million relationships connect thousands of kilometers of linear networks (electricity, roads, railways, pipelines) to key infrastructure such as substations and power plants.
  • Methodology: A reproducible geodata pipeline processes open geodata (OSM, GIP) via PostgreSQL/PostGIS into graph structures (Neo4j).
  • Key benefit: The graph serves as a translation layer—it enables queries regarding spatial proximity, network dependencies, and governance traceability within a single structure.

He also participated in the “Urban AI” session, where he presented an overview of an SRF project for the BMLUK under the title “The Future of Land-Take Monitoring in the EU: Opportunities & Limitations from Austria.” Given the EU Land Strategy’s goal of “No Net Land Take by 2050” and the upcoming Land Monitoring Act, monitoring mechanisms must go beyond simple benchmarking. Based on Austrian data (ÖROK, Umweltbundesamt), the project team analysed spatial patterns, temporal trends, and drivers of land take.

  • Key empirical finding: Land take is strongly supply-driven (influenced by the availability and prices of zoned building land) and is not driven purely by demographic or economic demand.
  • Planning Needs: Effective monitoring requires continuous, indicator-based spatial tracking rather than regional competition—so that data directly addresses specific planning challenges.

More information on Data for Policy 2026 is available from the conference website.