Geospatial data is tied to specific Earth locations, represented by geographic coordinates (Dinkins, 2023), and supports various applications. This study focuses on three (3) main types of geospatial data: Topographic Data: Details the Earth's surface, including natural and artificial features, crucial for urban planning, environmental analysis, and infrastructure development. Elevation Data: Provides vertical height information, essential for flood modelling, slope analysis, and precision agriculture. Boundary Data: Defines administrative and political divisions, important for governance, land management, and electoral planning. “ “ Despite the benefits, Malaysia has not fully adopted open geospatial data due to concerns over balancing accessibility with revenue and navigating legal and policy complexities. Geospatial data can be in vector (discrete features) or raster (grid cells) formats, with common file types like Shapefile and GeoTIFF. Providing data in diverse formats enhances accessibility and utility across applications. Most countries have a government agency that coordinates, manages, and promotes geospatial data, referred to in this study as the national geospatial organisation. In the United States, the USGS handles extensive geospatial data and collaborates widely to ensure data quality and accessibility. In Canada, the Earth Sciences Sector (ESS) of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) oversees the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), facilitating nationwide data sharing. In Switzerland, Swisstopo manages topographic data and promotes open data initiatives, working with various authorities to ensure data availability for multiple applications. These organisations play key roles in advancing open geospatial data accessibility and use in their respective countries. 21 Open data initiatives are transforming geospatial information access globally by o ering free and unrestricted geographic datasets that drive innovation and decision-making. Recognizing geospatial data as public property, governments play a crucial role in ensuring accessibility and transparency, which aligns with principles of democratic governance and citizen empowerment (Craglia et al., 2012; Vancauwenberghe et al., 2019). Open data initiatives can significantly boost data usage and return on investment. As illustrated in Figure 1, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat data saw a marked increase in citations after the data was made openly available in 2010. Despite the benefits, Malaysia has not fully adopted open geospatial data due to concerns over balancing accessibility with revenue and navigating legal and policy complexities. This research examines the open data practices of the United States, Canada, and Switzerland to gather insights for enhancing Malaysia's geospatial data services, focusing on the types of data o ered and the policies in place.
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