The INSPIRE Directive 2007/2/EC, establishes an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe, requiring large amounts of environmental digital content to be made accessible across Europe, resulting in a data pool that is expected to be of huge value for a myriad of value-added applications. The INSPIRE Implementing Rules Legal Acts outlines these data pools, but more work is needed.Making data available according to the INSPIRE standards in 30 countries using 22 languages requires specific skill sets that few public authorities have. The management of this content represents an opportunity for SMEs active in this sector.SMEs can enable countries to fulfil the Directive, creating new market opportunities with increased potential for innovation and new jobs. Due to the legal requirements, the INSPIRE implementation becomes the entry-point for crucial business opportunities, opening new, or reinforcing existing perspectives (including Linked Open Data, Sensor Web, cloud computing and other e-environment application domains).SmeSpire's purpose is to encourage and enable the participation of SMEs in the mechanisms of harmonising and making large scale environmental content available. smeSpire will:1. assess market potential for SMEs in relation to INSPIRE as an integral component of the Digital Agenda for Europe, describing obstacles for SMEs to enter this market in terms of knowledge gaps2. collate, translate and exploit a Best Practice Catalogue in the management of environmental content3. Develop a multilingual package to train environmental data analysts in the maintenance and exploitation of environmental data commons, and4. create a network capable of transferring result-driven knowledge throughout Europe with research centres, environmental agencies, progressive technology providers and digital content providers.smeSpire offers the Commission an early integration of results for relevant programmes (ISA) directly into the knowledge base of geo-ICT SMEs