The model for this project is a “public research consortium” with the aim of multiple government agencies (central and local) contributing to the research, both with financial contributions and with significant in-kind contributions, such as datasets and ground-truthing activities.  As this is a new approach MSI and Landcare Research will initially have a joint role facilitating and coordinating the governance and advisory arrangements with stakeholders to achieve a robust land-cover research programme. MSI’s role is likely to reduce over time as the programme is established and as the governance and advisory arrangements bed down. Governance for the LCDB programme will contain the following components: 

1. Primary governance lies with MSI through their contract with Landcare Research to produce LCDB-3 and -4, and associated research. This contract's ID is CO9X1101, with MSI ref CONT-25268-TES-LCR and Landcare ref 1112-96-002A.
2. LCDB Steering Group - representing the major agencies participating and contributing to the LCDB programme.  This is a group of senior managers from their agencies/sectors. Their role is to provide strategic direction for the LCDB and ensure alignment its goals with their agencies' key policy directions and operational imperatives. More...
3. LCDB Technical Advisory Group - to provide advice, such as future uses of land cover products, strengths and weaknesses of the current products etc, recommendations on technical aspects, but not involved in the governance of the project.  The advisory group will meet less frequently than the governance group, e.g. 6 monthly, but likely to depend on the stage of the programme and the delivery cycle.  Potential members of the advisory group include; individual regional councils, city councils, territorial local authorities, NZ Fire Service, rural fire authorities, CRIs, Universities, representatives from industry. More...
4. Landcare Research -  will have ongoing responsibility for administering these groups.