This document summarizes the development of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) in Europe and Germany. It discusses the establishment of early national SDI initiatives in countries like Australia and the US in the 1980s and 1990s. It also describes the establishment of the GSDI to foster global SDI development and data sharing. Regarding Germany specifically, it outlines how the country took a decentralized approach to SDI development led by its 16 states and key national organizations like the BKG and GDZ. It discusses Germany's development of common geospatial datasets and standards. Overall the document presents the evolution of SDI initiatives from national to global scales over the past few decades.