PETIT - Pathfinder towards the European Topographic Information Template - was a project to determine the feasibility of creating a pan-European topographic dataset using the VMap Level 1 specifications defined by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. Aspects investigated included:
• technical feasibility of the military VMap specification and the modifications necessary for civilian use.

• possible legal constraints concerning Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the data, and

• market requirements for such a dataset.

Results of the project will include a working prototype model, legal report, production plan, marketing plan and business plan.

The project was seen as a first stage in the development of a consistent dataset at 1:250 000 scale easily accessible to users with a single licence agreement. The European National Mapping Agencies supported the project with technical expertise and base-data.

PETIT was a project in the European Commission's INFO2000 Programme. The project was divided into a Definition and Implementation phase. The successful Definition phase is summarised in the public version of the Definition Phase Final Report.

PETIT Implementation Phase
PETIT was a study to investigate the feasibility of using the VMap Level 1 specifications defined by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. This was regarded as the first step in the creation of a pan-European topographical dataset at 1:250 000 nominal scale, meeting a common specification.

As Europe becomes more closely linked, pan-European topographic data will become increasingly important. Organisations need to be able to monitor their activities using reliable and comparable cross-border data. Digital maps at the scale of 1:250 000 have been identified as being most appropriate for these applications at the European level.

The project is now completed. Particular emphasis was placed on user requirements, which will have a significant influence on the final product specification. Legal issues have been addressed and plans for production, marketing and distribution have been created. A prototype dataset was created and extensive user testing by organisations interested in pan-European datasets has conducted. A Web demonstrator has been developed based on a subset of the prototype. The application is available on this site allowing free evaluation.