Sharing data across diverse thematic disciplines is only the next step in a series of hard-fought efforts to ensure barrier-free data availability. The Plan4all project is one such effort, focusing on the interoperability and harmonisation of spatial planning data as based on the INSPIRE protocols. The aims are to support holistic planning and the development of a European network of public and private actors as well as Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). The Plan4all and INSPIRE standards enable planners to publish and share spatial planning data. The Malta case tackled the wider scenario for sharing of data, through the investigation of the availability, transformation and dissemination of data using geoportals. The study is brought to the fore with an analysis of the approaches taken to ensure that data in the physical and social domains are harmonised in an internationally-established process. Through an analysis of the criminological theme, the Plan4all process is integrated with the social and land use themes as identified in the CRISOLA model. The process serves as a basis for the need to view sharing as one part of the datacycle rather than an end in itself: without a solid protocol the foundations have been laid for the implementation of the datasets in the social and crime domains

Abstract. The Malta CRISOLA case study is investigated in terms of its analysis of the approaches taken to ensure that data in the physical and social domains are tackled within a reliable structure as that provided by the spatial domain through INSPIRE. The crime, social and landuse themes, being pivotal to the model, have served as a bridge across the landuse domains identified as fundamental in the INSPIRE Directive and as expressed in the Plan4all project. The case study is described in terms of its eventual take-up of functions developed by the Plan4all project which are essential for the future successful outcomes as identified in the CRISOLA model. The idea is to disseminate Maltese results to other geoportals including Plan4all geoserver which focuses on the interoperability and harmonisation of spatial planning data. The aims are to support holistic planning through the provision of data services across the spatial and social themes.