Although there may be certain differences between countries, in most countries many key organizations in the GIS&T field will be active at the central/federal/national level of government. Especially the traditional institutions for surveying and mapping play a key role in geospatial policies and activities. Several public authorities at the federal level are in charge of the production and maintenance of key reference and thematic data sets. In many countries, these national data producers were the leading actors in the development of national spatial data infrastructures.