Specialised Information Service Cartography and Geodata

The Specialised Information Service Cartography and Geodata (German: Fachinformationsdienst Kartographie und Geobasisdaten, commonly abbreviated FID Karten) is a German research infrastructure and service provider for cartography, geoinformation and the history of cartography. It is operated by the Map Department (Kartenabteilung) of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz and was built up from 2016 within the funding programme of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), the German Research Foundation. It is a further development of the DFG's former Special Subject Collections (Sondersammelgebiete) for topographic maps and cartographic literature. The service is designed to support the scholarly work of all projects and research undertakings in cartography, geoinformation and adjacent disciplines that use or produce geoinformation and maps. Its core services, as described on its own website, comprise project-related acquisition of digital and analogue maps, thematically focused digitisation of map holdings from the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and the mediation of geodata from around the world. In addition, the FID offers project accompaniment and advice on research and on questions of cartography and geoinformation. Users register their projects to receive a project ID needed for the service forms for digitisation and geodata advice; further services are available without registration. Beyond these project services, the FID Karten maintains an international open-access subject repository and an international online subject bibliography, and provides information about the map collection of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and about map research. Its offerings were developed by the Map Department of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin within the DFG funding programme and were largely available free of charge. The FID Karten is listed on webis, the portal for collection focus areas at German libraries. The service has been supported by the DFG in three funding phases. According to its own information, DFG funding ends initially on 31 March 2026, after almost ten years of service-oriented work for a very heterogeneous user community. From 1 April 2026 the FID Karten will initially no longer be funded by the DFG and will restrict its services. A scientific advisory board with experts from different areas of focus supports the close connection to the specialist community and its influence on the further development of the advisory and service offerings. As a publicly funded information infrastructure rather than a commercial enterprise, the FID Karten occupies a distinctive position: it is a service brand of a state library, addressing researchers, projects and institutions that work with maps and geoinformation, and it combines collection development, digitisation, geodata brokerage, bibliographic and repository services under a single specialist identity.

The Specialised Information Service Cartography and Geodata (FID Karten) traces its origins to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft's Special Subject Collections (Sondersammelgebiete) for topographic maps and cartographic literature. In 2016, the Map Department (Kartenabteilung) of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin began building up the FID Karten within the DFG's funding programme, transforming the earlier collection-based approach into a service-oriented specialist information infrastructure. The FID Karten has been supported by the DFG in three funding phases. Over almost ten years of service-oriented work for a very heterogeneous user community, it built up numerous offerings and established dedicated project staff. Its services were developed by the Map Department of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin within the DFG funding programme and were largely available free of charge. The service portfolio that emerged includes project-related acquisition of digital and analogue maps, thematically focused digitisation of the map holdings of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and the mediation of geodata from around the world. Alongside these project services, the FID Karten established an international open-access subject repository and an international online subject bibliography, and it provides information about the map collection of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and about map research. A project registration process was introduced so that users receive a project ID required for the digitisation and geodata advice service forms, while other services remain available without registration. A scientific advisory board, composed of experts with different areas of focus, supports the FID Karten's close connection to its specialist community and allows that community to influence the further development of the advisory and service offerings. The FID Karten is listed on webis, the portal for collection focus areas at German libraries. According to the official website, DFG funding ends initially on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 the FID Karten will initially no longer be funded by the DFG and will restrict its services. After almost ten years of service-oriented work, the team has been considering which services can be maintained beyond the end of funding and what can feed into a possible future application; an overview of the possibilities for continuing individual services is provided on the website. The team thanks users for their cooperation and directs questions to the Map Department at karten@sbb.spk-berlin.de.

• 2026

  DFG funding ends initially on 31 March 2026; from 1 April 2026 the FID Karten is initially no longer funded and restricts its services.

• 2016

  The Map Department of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin begins building up the FID Karten within the DFG funding programme.

• The FID Karten is supported by the DFG in three funding phases.

• Development of services including project-related map acquisition, digitisation, geodata mediation, an open-access repository and an online subject bibliography.

A publicly funded, largely free-of-charge specialist information infrastructure and service brand for cartography, geoinformation and the history of cartography, operated by the Map Department of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and closely connected to its specialist community through a scientific advisory board.

• Project-related acquisition of digital and analogue maps

  The FID acquires maps for research projects, supporting scholarly work in cartography, geoinformation and adjacent disciplines.

• Thematically focused digitisation of map holdings

  The FID digitises map holdings of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin for specific projects.

• Mediation of geodata from around the world

  The FID provides worldwide geodata advice for projects.

• International open-access subject repository

  An open-access repository for the specialist community.

• International online subject bibliography

  An online bibliography for cartography and geodata.

• Project accompaniment and consultation

  Advice on research and on questions of cartography and geoinformation.

1. 1FID Karten – official website homepagekartographie.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de
2. 2Service – FID Kartenkartographie.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de
3. 3Über uns – FID Kartenkartographie.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de
4. 4Specialised Information Service Cartography and Geodata – Wikidatawikidata.org