To find more information about this guide go to: http://www.govloop.com/geographic-information-systems-guide

2. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
2.
WELCOME CONTENTS
About GovLooP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4
Executive SummarY - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5
Benefits of GIS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6
5 Overarching Benefits of GIS
Cost Savings and Increased Efficiency
Improved Decision Making
Increased Communication
Better Recordkeeping
Managing Geographically
5 Strategies for GIS Implementation
GIS Runs on Data
Integrate Your Team
Integrate Your Processes
Train Accordingly
Make Your Business Case
It’s Not Just for Programmers
Transforming Emergency Management with GIS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10
GIS In Focus: Mobile and Larimer County
How GIS is Used in Emergency/Disaster Management
GIS to Assist With Planning and Community Analysis
Identification of Data
Collaboration with Field Operations
Situational Awareness
Prepare for a Crisis
Respond Efficiently
Recover Proactively
ArcGIS as a System for Emergency/Disaster Management
Survey In Focus: What’s Your Greatest GIS Challenge? - - - - - - - - - - - - 16
Restoration and Sustainability with GIS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18
Planning
Maintenance and Restoration
GIS In Focus: The National Forest Service

3. 3.
STATEOFGIS
Response
GIS In Focus: US Fish and Wildlife
More Data, Better Planning
Mapping for Crime Reduction in Communities - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22
Best Practice: Enhance Traditional Practices
Best Practice: Combine Traditional and Non-Traditional Data to Target Crime
GIS In Focus: Ogden, Utah
Best Practice: Provide Public Access to Data
GIS In Focus: Shelby, North Carolina
Best Practice: Targets Deployment of Limited Resources with Predictive Modeling
GIS In Focus: Columbia, North Carolina
Investing in Healthy Neighborhoods Through Emerging Technology - - - - - 28
Understanding the Context
GIS In Focus: Department of Agriculture
More Informed Decision-Making
GIS In Focus: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Coordinating Across Organizations
GIS In Focus: USAID
A Promising Future
Building the Base Map for Citizen Engagement - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 32
Step 1: Begin with Authoritative, High Value Data
GIS In Focus: Data.seattle.gov
Step 2: Push Data to Citizens
GIS In Focus: Chicago’s Crime Maps
Step 3: Allow Citizen Analysis
GIS In Focus: Chesapeake Bay Restoration
Step 4: Create a Citizen Feedback Loop
GIS In Focus: Montgomery County, Maryland
Step 5: Update Authoritative Data
GIS In Focus: City of Glendale, California
Step 6: Increase Operational Awareness
Survey in Focus: How do you see agencies leveraging GIS in 5 years? - - - - - - 40
GIS Resources - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 42
GovLoop Blogs
Esri Resources
Federal Government Case Studies
State Government
Local Governments

4. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
4.
ABOUT GOVLOOP
Location
GovLoop is headquartered in Washington D.C
with a team of dedicated professionals who
share a commitment to connect and improve
government.
GovLoop
734 15th St NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 407-7421
Fax: (202) 407-7501
Our mission is to “connect government to im- academic partners. In brief, GovLoop is the
prove government.” GovLoop aims to inspire leading online source for addressing public
public sector professionals by serving as the sector issues.
knowledge network for government. GovLoop
connects nearly 60,000 members, fostering In addition to being an online community,
cross-government collaboration, solving com- GovLoop works with government experts and
mon problems and advancing government ca- top industry partners to produce valuable re-
reers. sources and tools, such as guides, infograph-
ics, online trainings, educational events, and
The GovLoop community has been widely rec- a daily podcast with Chris Dorobek, all to help
ognized across multiple sectors as a core re- public sector professionals do their jobs better.
source for information sharing among public
sector professionals. GovLoop members come GovLoop also promotes public service success
from across the public sector; including fed- stories in popular news sources like the Wash-
eral, state, and local public servants, industry ington Post, Huffington Post, Government
experts, as well as non-profit, associations and Technology, and other industry publications.

5. 5.
STATEOFGIS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
“A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware,
software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and dis-
playing all forms of geographically referenced information. GIS
allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visual-
ize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and
trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts. GIS
helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at
your data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared.”
– Esri
In the report, Maps Improve Gov 2.0, Esri Presi- reached out to GovLoop members to take part
dent Jack Dangermond states, “Citizens become in a survey. Participants were asked to discuss
much more engaged when a map shows them their greatest challenges with GIS, highlight
what’s happening in their own neighborhoods. best practices, share interesting case studies,
GIS makes that possible. People easily under- and describe what they believe the future of
stand maps, which leads to better discussion GIS looks like. The results of the survey are dis-
around an issue. With GIS, citizens can see how cussed throughout this report and provide first
government is performing and use that informa- hand insights on GIS from those in the trenches.
tion for better decision-making,” he continues,
“GIS allows data to be analyzed, shared and dis- As one respondent noted, “GIS provides spatial
cussed in ways that were never possible before.” awareness leading to information empower-
ment – [it’s] moving our language into spatial
At GovLoop, our mission is to share best prac- dimensions.” GIS now extends across govern-
tices, facilitate knowledge sharing, and con- ment and is no longer accessible to only pro-
nect government employees. This report is at grammers and coders. There is tremendous
the heart of our mission. This report serves as value in integrating GIS with mission-ori-
a collection of case studies, best practices, and ented programs to realize its many benefits.
resources for the GIS community. In this report,
we have attempted to show the power and This report is by no means a finished project.
value of GIS for government entities. We have This guide is intended to point you to the
decided to focus on five strategic areas for GIS proper resources, spur discussions on Gov-
in government: emergency management, citi- Loop, and help build community awareness
zen engagement, health and human services, on GIS. Please be sure to visit GovLoop and
environmental policy and crime prevention. engage with the community, as we hope to
continue a dynamic conversation through
As part of the research process for this guide, we GovLoop’s blogs, forums and discussions.

6. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
6.
BENEFITS OF GIS
“GIS is a technology which is about condensing down all of our data, all of our
information into a language that is understood by everyone.”
- Jack Dangermond, President and Founder of Esri
Geographic information systems (GIS) allow an understand easily” is part of the utility of GIS
organization to display enterprise information software.
geographically. GIS integrates seemingly dis-
parate data, software, and hardware to display GIS has been used to map locations of infra-
information visually. GIS allows government structure, resource quantities, population den-
entities to understand the complexity of proj- sities, and changes in communities. A survey
ects they are working on and reveal new rela- participant cited several additional benefits,
tionships, patterns, and trends through maps namely “Identifying relationships and trends
and reports. A respondent from GovLoop’s GIS that aren’t always clear in graphs, charts, and
survey commented, “There are so many things spreadsheets. I never underestimate the power
that GIS can provide. Detailed maps, ability to of the ‘where’ aspect of data.” Throughout the
perform analysis for specific questions, ability guide, there are many case studies highlight-
to provide information quickly, especially in ing how GIS can be applied to different areas of
emergency situations.” The respondent added, government to realize these benefits.
“most people are visual and as it has been said
‘a picture is worth a thousand words’; getting Recently, data visualization has been gaining a
information to the citizen in a way they can lot of traction in government. As the open data

7. 7.
STATEOFGIS
movement progresses and raw especially in terms of opera- that improves communica-
data is made available in a vari- tional expenses. A great case tion between different teams,
ety of formats, the data needs study comes from the City of departments, disciplines, pro-
to be presented in a way users Woodland, which found new fessional fields, organizations,
can easily interpret. For some, efficiencies using GIS to cut and the public.”
the raw data is quite useful for costs on fleet schedules, sav-
building applications and sup- ing on fuel and labor costs. A Better Recordkeeping
porting systems; for others, the GovLoop survey respondent
need is to quickly understand noted this benefit as well, stat- Better recordkeeping is an ad-
data visually. One of survey ing that GIS assists cities in ditional benefit of GIS. Gov-
participants highlighted this “Providing better municipal ernment agencies collect large
need, stating, “The benefits are services at a lower cost, saving volumes of data and records,
almost unlimited and as the the city money.” and GIS is one of the many
tools in GIS expand, so do the tools that agencies use to help
uses for it. People, especially in Improved Decision improve recordkeeping. Esri
today’s world, are very visual. Making states, “GIS provides a strong
GIS not only provides those framework for managing these
visuals but it solves problems. Improved decision-making is types of records with full trans-
Sorting through spreadsheets another benefit of integrat- action support and reporting
makes it hard to detect pat- ing GIS with enterprise data. tools.” Montana’s GIS-Based
terns but looking at it through Across many areas of gov- Cadastre Layered with Riches
GIS begins to make sense of ernance, GIS can improve is a case study provided by Esri
where and why.” decision-making by helping to illustrate how GIS facilitates
leaders to understand and vi- improved recordkeeping.
5 Overarching Benefits of sualize complex data and their
GIS relationships. A survey respon- Managing Geographi-
dent stated, “It turns reams of cally
In addition to user-identified spreadsheets and lists of data
benefits, Esri presented five into a visual tool that is under- Finally, managing geographi-
overarching benefits for GIS, standable by many.” cally is the distinguishing
along with accompanying il- benefit of GIS. Esri states, “GIS
lustrative case studies. Below, Increased Communica- is becoming essential to un-
we have highlighted these five tion derstanding what is happen-
benefits, providing a context ing and what will happen in
for how GIS can be leveraged A third benefit that can be geographic space. Once we
by agencies across govern- realized within agencies is understand, we can prescribe
ment. increased communication action. This new approach to
among teammates. GIS and managing geographically is
Cost Savings and In- maps allow people to com- transforming the way that or-
creased Efficiency municate with a new medium, ganizations operate.” Kuwait
also allowing interdisciplin- University is another great
One of the first benefits iden- ary communication across case study, exploring how the
tified is cost savings and in- the agency. Esri states, “GIS- University uses GIS to design
creased efficiency. GIS can be based maps and visualizations and build as they embarked on
used to find new efficiencies greatly assist in understanding a multibillion-dollar expansion
within a government agency, situations and in storytelling. project.
They are a type of language

8. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
8.
These five overarching bene- like Oracle or SQL Server. That’s interests.”
fits of GIS are seen in agencies where the really work is hap-
across departments and levels pening. You better be think- Another participant followed
within government. ing about web development up, stating, “All employees
as well. Silverlight, FLEX, and in your organization need to
5 Strategies for GIS Imple- HTML5 are the tools of choice understand their corporate/
mentation regarding the integration of agency mission and identify
GIS and web-based technolo- key information categories
The GIS case studies through- gies. that are of highest priority to
out this report offer many collect uniformly across the
lessons learned for the GIS Even small-scale local govern- organization and who the
community. Through the case ments are pushing GIS servic- subject matter experts are for
studies and resources provid- es online. Everyone can make each category.”
ed, five lessons learned and their own maps, do their own
strategies emerge that can analysis, and even create their Integrate Your Pro-
be immediately implemented own data. And they want to do cesses
within an agency. Most agen- it on their phones and tablets,
cies that have a GIS initiative not on some 12lbs notebook. Integration is key, and with
have thought through these And it is becoming all about GIS, it is critical that data man-
elements, but it never hurts to development. GIS people used agement and data collection
take a step back and critically to make maps or other infor- are integrated with GIS. A sur-
evaluate your current initia- mation products and serve vey respondent stated, “I think
tives. that to consumers. Now we that the greatest benefit is the
create apps and services for ability to obtain business in-
GIS Runs on Data the user, who in turn creates telligence by looking at corpo-
their own maps or information rate or agency data in a new
In order to fully leverage GIS, products.” way (helps the brain process
the proper data must be acces- these complex associations
sible, shared and integrated Integrate Your Team or relationships much faster
with GIS software. One of sur- when it is part of a visual dis-
vey respondents stated: The cloud and GIS is integral play). You can see trends and
to improved collaboration. patterns across a geographic
“Maps, maps, maps. All they GIS works when all the stake- area, which might be harder
ever talk about are maps. Let’s holders can access informa- to determine if forced to look
talk about data. Let’s talk about tion and are engaged in the at separate charts or graphs
real analysis where we’re tak- process. This is no different (based on tabular data alone).”
ing disparate data sets and do- than any other program, tool,
ing the analysis to turn them or process for an organiza- Within the survey, we asked
into readily consumable infor- tion. Be sure that the team has how GIS officials were inte-
mation that may or may not bought into the GIS initiative, grating GIS into existing pro-
have a spatial component. and has access to all the right cesses; one fascinating answer
information. One of the sur- explained, “We are currently
A lot of people forget that to vey respondents stated, “In an designing our GIS and are rely-
really get into GIS these days inherently spatial agency like ing on our current systems to
you have to be very conversant mine, location has the power make the most use of it as well
regarding database software to provide the necessary com- as leveraging those current
mon denominator for diverse systems to assist in getting

9. 9.
STATEOFGIS
GIS up and running. To make It’s Not Just for
this integration as seamless as Programmers
possible, we are thorough in
our research to determine all GIS is no longer just for those
software and hardware that is who code and program. Soft-
needed for these connections ware has become much more
to be successful. GIS is a great intuitive to use. There is enor-
tool but if you can leverage mous value in GIS, and by un-
it across existing systems, its derstanding the value of GIS,
uses are even broader.” and with proper training and
identification of resources,
Make Your Business there is a lot of value that can
Case be derived from GIS for gov-
ernment agencies.
GIS professionals need to be
able to speak the business Building greater context to in-
language to push their ideas form policy decisions, manag-
forward. While GIS holds great ing strategic planning, and co-
promise for government in ordinating the deployment of
helping to tackle the complex resources are just a few of the
situations with which agencies applications for GIS programs.
are confronted, the benefits To fully leverage GIS to further
need to be communicated in agency missions, the technol-
quantifiable terms. GIS adop- ogy should be used by more
tion will not receive buy-in if than just programmers and
value is not clearly communi- coders.
cated in terms senior leaders
can understand,
These lessons learned are criti-
A survey respondent stated, cal for government agencies.
“Once people understand Along with the lessons learned,
what the colors (i.e. demo- GIS has numerous benefits for
graphic metrics) and shapes agencies, which extend far be-
(i.e. neighborhoods) mean, it yond just emergency manage-
can have a powerful impact ment. “The benefits are almost
on arguing for change. I find unlimited and as the tools in
though that for many it cannot GIS expand, so do the uses for
be presented passively and let it. People, especially in today’s
them figure it out for them- world, are very visual. GIS not
selves. It can be formatted in a only provides those visuals
self guided fashion for individ- but it solves problems. Sorting
ual discovery but people often through spreadsheets makes
don’t get the full impact unless it hard to detect patterns but
some one points out the rela- looking at it through GIS be-
tionships.” gins to make sense of where
and why,” stated a survey re-
spondent.

10. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
10.
Transforming
E M E R G E N C Y MAN AG E M E N T
with GIS
“GIS provides the ability to monitor the crisis and react in real time. GIS connects
people, resources, and information geographically to help decision
makers understand the full scope of a dynamic situaion.”
GIS is continuing to evolve and users are con- pacts on communities. Most disasters are char-
tinually finding new applications for GIS across acterized by short reaction/response times,
government. Implementing GIS is becoming overwhelming devastation to infrastructure,
increasingly important for agencies as pub- and a strain on the tangible and intangible re-
lic services become more complex. Often, GIS sources of the affected community. Decision
is the backbone of public programs, running makers at the local, state, and federal levels
behind the scenes, powering many different are expected to quickly implement plans to re-
kinds of technology and services upon which store order and mitigate the aftermath of the
government and citizens rely. disaster.”
Throughout the last decade, technology has At the core of emergency management and
helped to facilitate a better understanding of preparedness is GIS. GIS technology allows de-
the complexity of natural disasters. The Esri cision makers to grasp the social, physical, and
website states, “Disasters in the form of earth- economic forces of a disaster. GIS plays a criti-
quakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes cal role during all aspects of a disaster, from
have severe economic, financial, and social im- proper planning and preparedness initiatives,

11. 11.
STATEOFGIS
to continuing on after the crisis area, families looked to social one of the strongest ever re-
to mitigate the affects of a di- media to track down loved corded, struck the coast of Ja-
saster. During the emergency, ones, check-in on neighbor- pan, it sent a tsunami Hawaii’s
GIS also allows first responders hoods, and learn about the way. In a sense, Hawaii had
and crisis center managers to condition of their communities dodged a bullet. The March 11,
quickly communicate and ad- through social media. With 2011, earthquake transferred
dress needs. the use of geo-location tags most of the tsunami’s energy
on social media platforms, citi- toward Japan’s coast rather
The use of GIS in emergency zens could use GIS to help get than toward Hawaii. The wave
management has been accel- status updates on their com- that Hawaii experienced was
erated, not just because of im- munity. The Pittsburgh Post 1 meter high (compared to Ja-
provements to GIS technology, Gazette reports, “For some pan’s 10-meter wave) but still
but also because of the rapid people, it only took a single caused millions of dollars in
advances in mobile and cloud tweet or Facebook post to map damage to docks and seacraft
technology. The “cloud first” their exact locations for search but—fortunately—no deaths.”
and Digital Government Initia- parties and anxious family
tive by the Obama Administra- members.” The article quoted Once the tsunami hit, Hawaiian
tion has pushed agencies to Gabriel Schmidbauer, adjunct residents visited their primary
adopt cloud and mobile tech- professor of geology and geo- resource for emergency notifi-
nology. The connection be- graphic information systems cations, the city website. Due
tween GIS, cloud, and mobile at Aurora, Colo.-based Ameri- to the high traffic volumes,
has led to an integrated suite can Sentinel University, as say- the website crashed, leaving
for emergency managers. With ing “Geo-enabled tweets and citizens uncertain about their
the use of GIS, cloud, and mo- other types of social media safety. The case study stated,
bile, agencies can collaborate that go on maps can be used “One of the GIS analysts men-
and share information visu- as a way of analyzing events as tioned that their site [Hono-
ally through interactive and they happen”. lulu.gov] went down following
dynamic maps. With mobile the alert because too many
access, people can share real- Along with geotagging, mo- residents were trying to find
time maps and data, using bile applications and GIS have information related to the tsu-
this information to improve radically altered how emer- nami at once.” This situation
how resources are allocated gency response information ultimately inspired the city to
and how decisions are made. is provided to citizens. An ex- create a new mobile app that
In particular, the use of social ample of this comes from the provides evacuation informa-
media and geo-tagging on de- case study, New Information tion for citizens.
vices has led to incredible life- Channel: Andriod app gets
saving advancements in emer- evacuation information to Honolulu traditionally publish-
gency management. residents, which states, “When es information on evacuations
the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, in phone books. The city found
There are many examples of
geotagging being used in
emergency management. One
example comes from the dev-
astating storms that hit the
eastern United States in April
2012. As powerful thunder-
storms moved through the 21º18’25’’N -157º51’30’’W

12. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
12.
that publishing information in
the phonebook is not the most
efficient option, as many resi- LARIMER COUNTY, CO
dents are dependent on their 40º35’7’’N -105º5’4’’W
mobile phones. The City of Ho-
nolulu is prepared for an emer-
gency situation, having devel-
what:
Emergency Response 2.0,
oped an app that helps people GIS Builds Customer Web
stay safe and find shelter in a App to Empower Emergency
Managers
crisis.
GIS In Focus: Mobile and
Larimer County
An additional case study is the decision making process
from Larimer County, Colora- during a crisis. Royce states, Royce identifies three ways GIS
do, Emergency Response 2.0, “When coupled with census tools are used during an emer-
GIS Builds Customer Web App and derived Federal Emer- gency, stating, “[GIS] allows in-
to Empower Emergency Man- gency Management Agency stant collaboration, visualizes
agers, shows the power of a (FEMA) HAZUS-MH layers, a population and infrastructure
custom web app, and how cus- rich, query able tapestry be- vulnerabilities, visualizes and
tomization of web applications comes readily available. Map manages the allocation of re-
has the power to transform visualization provides a holis- sources with their associated
emergency management. tic overview of the incident, hazards.” These are all critical
while actionable reports come elements to disaster recovery,
The author of the post is Lar- from performing spatial que- and mitigating the impact of a
imer County’s GIS Programmer, ries.” This information is critical crisis on a community.
Royce Simpson. Larimer Coun- for emergency managers to
ty is home to nearly 300,000 have as a crisis unfolds. How GIS is Used in Emer-
citizens and holds nearly 29 gency/Disaster Manage-
cities and towns. Like many To fully capitalize the poten- ment
county governments, Larimer tial of GIS, employees need
County collects and stores to take advantage of a sig- Esri provides some great re-
data related to shelters and nificant number of training sources on disaster manage-
critical infrastructures, such as opportunities. Even though a ment. On their website Esri
public facilities, schools and manager is equipped with all walks through how GIS is
police and fire stations. the tools to make an informed used in emergency manage-
decision, significant training is ment. They identify four as-
During a crisis, managers need still required for the manager pects, planning and analysis,
to quickly be able see what in- to think clearly, know the re- data management, situational
frastructures may be in jeop- sources of the community, and awareness, and field opera-
ardy, identify high population remain calm throughout the tions. Below, the GovLoop
areas, high-risk communities, emergency; this is critical dur- team has expanded on each
and where to send services. ing an emergency and allows and provided some further
With GIS, this can be done emergency managers to make context on how important
nearly instantly and improves decisions with clarity. each is for emergency man-

13. 13.
STATEOFGIS
agement. nity analysis is at the core of Identification of
emergency preparedness. GIS Data
GIS to Assist With can facilitate the identifica-
Planning and Commu- tion of critical infrastructure, For a GIS system to properly
nity Analysis low laying land that may lead function, there is an immense
to increased risk, and assist amount of data that needs to
GIS technology allows emer- with plans to provide relief to be collected, stored, and man-
gency management profes- distressed communities. This aged. GIS allows users to turn
sionals to adequately address analysis and process has life- raw data into relevant infor-
needs of the community and saving applications. mation, driving decisions and
identify high-risk communities improving outcomes. One of
when a crisis may hit. Commu- the GovLoop survey respon-
Mapping the Colorado Wildfires
+
+
+
GIS use during the 2012 Colorado wildfires dem-
onstrated how GIS can help mitigate the damage High Park
from natural disasters. Esri has developed an online
gallery that showcases web maps and applications
created by Esri users during the crisis. The fires in
259 87k
Colorado were some of the worst in history. With
the combination of oppressive heat and drought,
the risk and intensity of wildfires in the South-
west United States has grown. On June 27th alone,
nearly 32,000 residents were forced to evacuate Homes Lost Acres Burned
their homes. The High Park fire burned 259 homes
and 87,284 acres, in a fire that roared for nearly a
month in Colorado. The fire has been estimated to
include $39.2 million in damages. The Waldo Can-
yon fire was just as oppressive, as the fire burned Waldo Canyon
347 homes and 17,827 acres, in the town situated
just west of Colorado Springs.
During the crisis, Esri developed maps that showed
347 17k
important data about the fires. Some of the data
on the maps included the wind direction, precipi-
tation, burned areas, location of fires and also in-
cluded user generated content on the web, such as Acres Burned
tweets and YouTube videos. Homes Lost
(Citation: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57463012/high-tech-maps-keep-track-of-colorado-wildfires/ )

14. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
14.
dents further emphasized the emergency and disaster man- partnerships, and providing a
need for data management, agement. As an emergency grassroots platform for coast-
stating, “Know the data, open unfolds, it is paramount to an al/oceans/Great Lakes space
the attribute table, look at the effective response to under- management, not to mention
different values in a column, stand the current circumstanc- other possible benefits we
so that you can be confident in es and to monitor events as should discover after the Na-
the answers you get from the they dynamically unfold over tional Ocean Policy is imple-
queries and analysis you per- time.” GIS provides the ability mented.”
form on the data.” to monitor the crisis and re-
act in real time. GIS connects Respond Efficiently
Collaboration with people, resources, and infor-
Field Operations mation geographically to help GIS can quickly aide in re-
decision makers understand sponse time. GIS helps to iden-
Critical to capitalizing on the the full scope of a dynamic tify access roads and emergen-
power of GIS is integration of situation. cy routes, and, using the cloud,
responders in the field with to collaborate with those in
the command center. The abil- Prepare for a Crisis the field. Through mapping of
ity to instantly collect data on emergency response route in-
a mobile device and relay that The first lesson is to be pre- formation, responders are able
information to command cen- pared; although it is impos- to quickly reach critical areas.
ters provides greater clarity of sible to plan for every element Likewise, they also know vul-
the on the ground situation, of a disaster, there are strate- nerabilities of the community
and can allow decision mak- gies that can be put into place and how to efficiently allocate
ers to make more informed for agencies. Many emergency resources.
choices for allocating limited response units have performed
resources during a disaster. mock disaster trainings to help Recover Proactively
prepare and train for how to
Situational Awareness react during a crisis. During the recovery phase, GIS
can be used to identify critical
Esri states, “Situational aware- By being prepared for a crisis, needs areas. Post disaster, GIS
ness is the corner stone of GIS can help agencies leverage provides valuable information
the benefits that GIS provides. to advise recovery procedures.
GIS can save significant time Leaders can view damage
during a crisis for officials. to critical infrastructure and
A survey respondent stated, buildings, and identify strate-
“With GIS we are saving funds gies to expedite the recovery
and employees’ time, increas- process.
ing collaboration, promoting
GIS use for emergency man-
agement is still an emerg-
ing field. As GIS continues to
evolve, precious time can be
saved to properly allocated
resources, provide citizens sta-
tus updates, and save lives.

15. 15.
STATEOFGIS
For more resources, on disaster tion management system. that could become or already
management and GIS, please are fires.
view:
! MODIS Active Fire Mapping
Program—Click on Current ! National Fire Weather—Fire
! ArcGIS Online—Wildfire im- Fire Information for “large inci- weather outlooks and warn-
agery, maps, and data. dent” maps. ings from the National Weath-
er Service.
! Fire Information for Re- ! MODIS Active Fire Maps—
source Management System U.S.D.A. Forest Service - Re- ! BLM Airspace Information
(FIRMS)—MODIS active fire mote Sensing Applications System—For aviators and fire
products in easy to use for- Center personnel, this site shows tem-
mats. porary flight restrictions due
! Geodata.gov—Fire Mapping to the fires.
! GEOMAC Wildland Fire Sup- Community—Categories in-
port—A multi-agency effort clude: Responder Resources,
that allows fire managers to GIS Data, Public Interest, Map ArcGIS as a System for
access online maps of current Gallery, and more. Emergency/Disaster Man-
fire locations. agement
! National Oceanic and Atmo-
! InciWeb—An interagency spheric Administration (NOAA) The ArcGIS software provides a
wildland fire incident informa- Fire Detect—Detects hotspots system for emergency/disaster
management that supports all
facets of the mission including
preparedness, mitigation, re-
sponse and recovery.

16. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
16.
{ IN FOCUS
How do you see agencies leveraging GIS in 5 years?
{
I see GIS as a universal integrator, a way
to aggregate data with spatial aspects in
an easy to understand format, typically
an interactive map/app. Leveraging GIS
is really leveraging all your existing sys-
tems. I see agencies deciding that their
needs to be one authoritative source of
data and using GIS to clean that source “Web apps are another. With all the
up. Take zoning for instance; right now free resources out there and such an
it’s in a bunch of different tabular reposi- active development community you
tories across different departments in can produce a GIS-based web app in
the City. GIS is the only way to compare a very short period of time. Not a lot
those disparate data sources to develop of other platforms can deliver that.
1 correct zoning designation per parcel. We developed a Storm Surge Look-up
That’s how I see agencies really and truly App for citizens using ESRI’s ArcGIS
benefiting from GIS investments in the Viewer for Flex in a week. It’s a really
future. simple app but it gets the job done.”

17. 17.
STATEOFGIS
“Federal agencies should
start to do more large- “Expect that it like
scale land management everything else on the
using a combination of web will go increas-
data collected from the ingly mobile and more Data sources will be ex-
field, remote sensing, and ubiquitous. What I posed as web services
geospatial data/existing would like to see is the pushed via an enterprise
data/metadata. Hopeful- I in GIS become knowl- service bus. If the IA poli-
ly agencies will invest in edge more firmly in the cies will allow it, this will
flex viewers that will help hands of the demo- allow organizations to
break down organization- cratic based populous pick and choose their
al silos by showing differ- so that they use it as a data, fuse it, and visualize
ent sources of agency data means of governance it. This would occur across
in one space or as layers rather than for hyped organizations and there
that can be turned on and up presentations.” would be one industry
off (perhaps making some standard process to ad-
programs or processes “I’m hoping data will be dress interconnection and
visible for the first time to shared more broadly security.
key decision makers).” and efficiently; so agen-
cies can focus on their
core missions.”
“GIS will become an everyday tool for a variety of purposes
within the next 5 years and it’s awareness will be widespread.”
“Looking five years into the future I see agencies interacting more with
organizations such as IOOS to obtain data and partner with. I also believe that
agencies may very well discontinue making maps themselves and use more
contractor-developed maps.”

18. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
18.
RESTORATION
AND SUSTAINABILITY
WITH GIS
“By including projections of the effects of climate change, this approach offers
a coherent and scientifically based way of addressing
key decisions about development and land-use change.”
-Geography Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara
2011 will long be remembered for its extreme within the conditions dictated by the environ-
weather. From wildfires in the West, to torna- ment.
dos in the heartland, to hurricanes in the East,
the environment dealt the United States some Planning
harsh blows. With twelve separate incidents
that claimed lives and cost over a billion dol- When it comes to planning for environmental
lars each, the National Oceanographic and At- changes, geography is everything. The impact
mospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National of climate change is expected to be different
Weather Service (NWS) urges the country to for different regions and different types of ter-
heed the lessons of 2012 and anticipate even rain. GIS can help enable location-based plan-
“more frequent extreme weather in the future.” ning and preparation. In a recap of a spatial
Whether it is planning for large scale environ- roundtable discussion he attended, Esri Presi-
mental changes and challenges, working to dent Jack Dangermond writes about the prom-
maintain the environment on a more localized ise of using geodesign to help adapt to climate
level, or responding to environmental disas- change. As one participant, a professor of ge-
ters, GIS can help agencies and organizations ography at the University of California Santa
whose mission is to manage, protect, or work Barbara put it, “A designer should be able to

19. 19.
STATEOFGIS
sketch a design for a develop- stitute, a non-profit organiza- also help agencies and com-
ment near a coastline, and to tion, does just that as part of munities better manage and
evaluate it based on scientific its ClimateWise service, which care for resources for use and
models of sea-level rise, as well assesses and prepare commu- conservation today. GIS can
as pollution of air and water, nities for impacts associated help government and the pub-
impacts on traffic congestion, with climate change. In using lic better understand natural
and other environmental and data from the U.S. Forest Ser- resources and the impact of
social dimensions. By includ- vice to make projections, The humans on those resources.
ing projections of the effects of Geos Institute can help city, The National Forest Service
climate change, this approach county, state, and federal gov- has used GIS to this end in
offers a coherent and scientifi- ernment agencies prepare for several ways. It has used GIS
cally based way of addressing environmental changes. to create an interactive online
key decisions about develop- forest-planning map intended
ment and land-use change.” to incorporate the public in
Maintenance and
the planning process , to bet-
The ability to create layers that
Restoration ter understand watershed ar-
display population density, eas, and to assess damage by
GIS in Focus: The Na-
zoning, terrain, and environ- pests. GIS can also help more
mental data can help bring tional Forest Service localized organizations and
multiple disciplines together agencies with environmen-
to collaborate on how to deal While GIS can help with the tal restoration efforts and to
with changing weather, coast- anticipated environmental improve conservation of vital
lines, and more. The Geos In- challenges of tomorrow, it can resources like water through

20. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
20.
a better understanding the information on a daily basis.
landscape and availability of “At end of every day, we could
resources and the many juris- see where every bird had been
dictions and populations that picked up, everywhere crews
depend on them. had been,” says Duke. FWS
helped to create and update
maps on a daily basis that en-
Response
abled other agencies, like the
U.S. Coast Guard to determine
GIS in Focus: US Fish
where to deploy resources the
and Wildlife
following day.
In a perfect world, careful plan-
ning would be sufficient to en-
sure protection of the environ-
ment. However, as witnessed
in recent years, accidents and
natural events can bring about
man-made environmental di-
sasters. When this happens,
GIS can help agencies to coor-
dinate response. Jason Duke,
Regional GIS Coordinator at
the U.S Fish and Wildlife Ser-
vice (FWS), discusses how the
FWS was dispatched to pro-
tect migratory birds following
the 2010 Deepwater Horizon
oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
In order to mount an effective
response, the FWS and other
responding agencies required
data from numerous state and
federal agencies, from on and
offshore, and in a timely man-
ner. Further, they needed to
be able to view that data in a
single location, so resources
could be allocated efficiently
on a daily basis.
Duke explains that GIS allowed
responders to create an “intel-
ligent map... that we can make
subtle changes to and make
quick decisions off of,” while
adding additional layers of

21. 21.
STATEOFGIS
More Data,
Better Planning
The ability to map and model
interrelated geographic in-
formation has allowed local,
state, and federal govern-
ments to revolutionize the way
they plan for environmental
changes, maintain and restore
ecosystems, and respond to
environmental disasters.
GIS has already empowered
numerous organizations to
work with the public and one
another to more effectively
protect and manage the en-
vironment. As more and more
organizations collect and
share even more environmen-
tal data, the potential for GIS
to be even more effective in
planning for anticipated envi-
ronmental changes and unan-
ticipated environmental disas-
ters will continue to improve.

22. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
22.
mapping for
CRIME REDUCTION
in communities
“Using the visual crime maps and detailed aerial photography, personnel
and resources were better placed at the right times
to provide deterrent to potential crime.”
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tech- ing this, they are able to analyze the data and
nology has been the catalyst for much of the determine patterns of criminal behavior with-
recent innovation in crime control and pre- in the city. They can do this for many types of
vention. This critical public service has always crime, including burglary, car theft, and more.
been reliant upon information and intelligence Because of the analysis of these patterns, po-
gathering and mapping, but GIS software pro- lice departments are able to better identify
vides a platform for considering many variables patterns of criminal activity.
affecting crime simultaneously.
Best Practice: Enhance Traditional
The initial use of crime data mapping had Practices
been limited to charting location and time of
a crime. GIS software allows users in state and Law enforcement is naturally visual field, and
local government in the police department to crime mapping has existed in some form for
plot crime, both in terms of time and place. Do- well over one hundred years. Until the past few

23. 23.
STATEOFGIS
decades, however, mapping To quote the PSAs, “knowledge
criminal activity was done is power” These are some examples of
primitively, using techniques cities that have created mash-
such as sticking pins in large Once mapping was possible ups of traditional and non-tra-
maps posted on the wall. This on personal computers, GIS ditional police data to predict
allowed for the detection of software began to be utilized and prevent crimes.
clusters of criminal activity, but by police forces to map multi-
there was no process in place ple sources of traditional crime X Minneapolis, Minnesota:
for more sophisticated analy- data, including the date, time, The city has combined data
sis. For example, there was no and type of offense in addition sets with locations of liquor
common method for tracking to the crime’s location. The in- stores, public libraries, public
the time or type of crime. formation collected by police parks, and bus route locations
departments could be more to better identify patterns of
With GIS technology, layers of readily analyzed, given a more gun-related crimes, including
information can be mapped complete visual representa- robberies, shootings, gun-
for a more in-depth analysis of tion of relevant data. theft and illegal possession.
crime patterns. The knowledge
regarding specific crimes offi- However, GIS software such as X Arlington, Texas: The Ar-
cers track and record can now ArcGIS can automatically link lington Police mapped build-
be overlaid to develop and data sets within several dif- ing code violations along with
understand patterns, beyond ferent databases, allowing for the locations of residential
simple location of crime clus- greater innovation in crime break-ins to better anticipate
ters. analysis. Data sets from any new burglary hotspots. The
area of government can now resulting maps demonstrated
Best Practice: Combine be combined with crime data a high correlation between
Traditional and Non- for a more nuanced under- dilapidated structures and
Traditional Data to Target standing of criminal activity. break-ins, and are now being
There are several cities that used to designate “fragile-
Crime
have successfully combined neighborhoods”, working with
traditional police data with other government agencies to
“Assimilating differing data
other non-traditional data to clean them up.
sources to give staff a more
prevent certain types of crimi-
complete picture of the histo-
nal behavior in their jurisdic- X Memphis, Tennessee: Map-
ry of a parcel or the crimes oc-
tion. ping the lighting of neighbor-
curring in an area of the City.

24. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
CRIME MAPPING SUCCESS
24.
across the nation
Minneapolis, MN
Combined data sets with locations of
liquor stores, public libraries, public
Ogden, UT parks, and bus route locations to better
identify patterns of gun-related crimes.
Launched a multi- Shelby, NC
mission Real
Time Crime Cen- Developed Crime-
ter (RTCC) which Stat to allow the
linked data sets police force to map
within several dif- things such as the
ferent databases, locations of where
including camera stolen vehicles are
systems, crime da- stolen and recovered
tabases, and ve- and crime density.
hicle tracking
Columbia, SC
Decreased violent crimes
over the course of one year
by 6.06 percent, and property
crimes decreased by 14.22
percent through visual crime
mapping.
Arlington, TX
Mapped building code violations
along with the locations of resi- Memphis, TN
dential break-ins to better antici- Mapped the lighting of neigh-
pate new burglary hotspots. borhoods, as well as proximity
to concert venues to spot con-
nections between this infor-
mation and criminal behavior.
hoods, as well as proximity GIS In Focus: Ogden, significant amount of data in
to concert venues and other Utah the course of their work. Pri-
non-traditional data, the city or to 2008, however, officers
was able to spot connections Similar to these cities across relied upon the crime analy-
between this information and the country, the Police Depart- sis unit’s monthly reports for
criminal behavior. ment in the City of Ogden, crime reduction planning and
Utah, gathers and utilizes a to identify additional areas of

25. 25.
STATEOFGIS
concern. To produce these re- may alleviate some of this con- statistics and crime patterns
ports, the crime analysis unit cern. from the previous month. The
manually combined data sets meetings walk through each
from multiple sources. Additionally, there is the po- crime category, and they dis-
tential for crowd-sourcing cuss strategies to reduce the
To better understand patterns applications to better un- number of crimes committed
of crime, the Ogden Police De- derstand crime. In Las Ange- in each area.
partment (OPD) launched a les, California, and Memphis,
multi-mission Real Time Crime Tenessee, university faculty Best Practice: Targets
Center (RTCC). With their ini- played central roles in devel- Deployment of Limited
tial implementation of this GIS oping the programs for data Resources with Predictive
software, ArcGIS automatically analysis. Opening up informa-
Modeling
linked data sets within several tion to the public could lead to
different databases, including more innovation in preventing
In an era of decreasing resourc-
camera systems, crime data- and controlling crime.
es, GIS helps law enforcement
bases, and vehicle tracking,
determine where to deploy re-
and displayed them in a com- GIS In Focus: Shel-
sources for the largest impact.
mon operating picture. “It was by, North Carolina
As budgets shrink and police
added so that we could track
forces become leaner, utilizing
and analyze patrol patterns After observing other larger
technology to pinpoint high-
and their relationship to crime cities successfully implement
crime areas is increasingly im-
patterns,” says Josh Jones, se- GIS software, the City of Shel-
portant.
nior project coordinator—GIS, by, North Carolina, custom-
City of Ogden. Combining the ized a program that met their
Many cities are beginning to
disparate datasets for patrol needs. Their program, CrimeS-
utilize GIS technology to map
locations and crime locations, tat, has provided concrete in-
past crimes and analyze pat-
along with additional layers formation for the force to act
terns retrospectively. Innova-
of data, the Ogden Police De- upon to reduce crime dramati-
tions in crime prevention are
partment (OPD) was provided cally. The police department is
also being developed, with GIS
with new information that led able to build maps that show
software helping to forecast
to better decision-making and where stolen vehicles are sto-
where future crimes will occur.
resource allocation. len and recovered and create
maps that show density of
GIS In Focus: Colum-
Best Practice: Provide crimes such as driving under
bia, South Carolina
Public Access to Data the influence. These maps can
inform police where to patrol
The Columbia, South Carolina,
With open data movements and be placed for selected en-
Police Department has utilized
thriving across all levels of gov- forcement.
GIS to more efficiently deploy
ernment, providing access to resources through the use of
high value information, such The Shelby Police Department
visual crime maps. They are
as crime data, will allow citi- also holds monthly meetings
also able to analyze past data
zens to also better understand that are open to the public,
to forecast patterns of future
crime in their area. Residents helping facilitate collaboration
crime. For example, an analysis
consistently over-estimate the between the police and the lo-
of historical data may show an
amount of crime in their area; cal community. During these
increase in burglaries during
providing access to actual data meetings, maps created with
a specific season or month of
CrimeStat are used to discuss

26. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
26.
the year. Having the ability to activity. Violent crimes have
map those crimes and deter- decreased over the course of
mine which jurisdictions are one year by 6.06 percent, and
affected can inform decisions property crimes decreased by
about how resources are de- 14.22 percent.
ployed and areas are patrolled.
For patrolmen, being able to
utilize the interactive maps
allows them to determine, by
clicking on an incident point,
any tracked descriptive infor-
mation, including the time and
date of the burglary, how the
break-in occurred, and what
was stolen. Again, accessing
data from multiple sources is
an invaluable resource for ana-
lyzing patterns of crime.
Captain Rick J. Hines of the
Columbia Police Department
described that, “The photo-
map [created with GIS] visually
depicted pathways between
buildings, back alleys, and oth-
er potential locations for crim-
inal opportunists to prey on
social gatherers heading back
to their cars late at night.” He
continued, “Using the visual
crime maps and detailed aerial
photography, personnel and
resources were better placed
at the right times to provide a
deterrent to potential crime. In
the event of a crime, the staff
was able to respond to an inci-
dent more quickly.”
Implementing this program
has led to real returns on in-
vestment for the police de-
partment. Since implementing
their GIS program, the City of
Columbia, SC, has seen a dra-
matic decrease in criminal

27. 27.
STATEOFGIS
The Platform for
Government
No matter how you deliver government services,
Esri provides the platform for your place-based
decisions. With data, analysis, field mobility, operational
awareness, and citizen engagement solutions, we can
help you foster innovation, reduce costs, and improve
the way you govern.
Learn more at esri.com/govplatform
Copyright © 2012 Esri. All rights reserved.

28. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
28.
INVESTING
IN HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS
THROUGH EMERGING
TECHNOLOGY
“The first key step in enabling anyone in the world to visit a GIS
map, click on a country, understand where all of our projects are,
what they’re doing, and the kinds of results they’re getting,” which
will make USAID’s work “far more accessible, transparent and
effective.”
-Dr. Rajiv Shah , U.S. Agency for International Development
Due to the current precarious fiscal state of
the economy, government agencies are con-
tinually looking to close budgets and at the tized solutions.
same time, provide a higher level of services
to citizens. While there are never easy solu- Further, agencies must be efficient and proper-
tions to delivering social services, improving ly coordinate among the myriad organizations
public health, and sparking urban renewal, and jurisdictions involved in providing assis-
government needs every decision, program, tance and supporting vulnerable populations.
and implementation to count. This requires an Geographic information systems (GIS) offer a
excellent understanding of the context around unique way to help governments achieve all
a problem and developing strategic and priori- three.

29. 29.
STATEOFGIS
Understanding the Con- income census tract where ei- decisions and prioritizing ac-
ther a substantial number or tions. This applies not only to
text share of residents has low ac- policymakers, who can make
cess to a supermarket or gro- better policy and program de-
GIS In Focus: Depart-
cery store.” In short, a Food cisions based on a complete
ment of Agriculture
Desert is an area in which a understanding of a problem
significant portion of residents and available resources, but
It is critical to understand a
does not have ready access to also to private citizens, who
problem’s context before de-
affordable, nutritious food. can make better decisions
ciding on a solution. The recent
when armed with the appro-
explosion in geo-tagged data
Using GIS, USDA developed priate information displayed
can help organizations tasked
the Food Desert Locator to in a user-friendly way. Viewing
with health, human services,
clearly illustrate where food information visually on a map,
and housing missions better
deserts exist. Using the map, rather than as a list of text, it
understand challenges faced
it becomes possible to under- can improve understanding of
by areas of interest. By using
stand which areas lack access a situation and allow individu-
geo-tagged data, it is now
to nutritious food—critical in- als to take a more informed
possible to view demograph-
formation for anyone seeking course of action.
ics, income, access to low-cost
to address public health issues
and nutritious food, access to
like childhood obesity or so- The Supplemental Nutrition
health professionals, and more
cial welfare issues. Secretary Assistance Program (SNAP),
all within a single map. Each
of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says the successor to the food
of these distinct, yet related
this understanding will “help stamp program, aids 44 mil-
variables can be mapped on a
policy makers, community lion Americans each year. In
separate “layer” and be viewed
planners, researchers, and oth- 2010, the USDA released the
in different combinations to
er professionals identify com- SNAP Retail Locator, which al-
help planners, social workers,
munities where public-private lows SNAP benefit recipients
nonprofits, and government
intervention can help make to see the retailers near their
officials best understand what
fresh, healthy, and affordable home, work, or other location
the critical factors at play are
food more readily available to that accept SNAP benefits.
and to use this information to
residents.” Jonathan Bennett, a Program
determine the best course of
Manager for the USDA’s Food
action.
and Nutrition Service, argues
that the tool allows beneficia-
In understanding the context
ries to make “better buying
of a problem and evaluating
potential solutions, it is criti- More Informed Decision- decisions” by viewing all stores
Making that accept SNAP benefits in
cal to understand what re-
their area and allowing them
sources already exist in a given
GIS In Focus: Sup- to compare before showing
area and what access to those
plemental Nutrition up at a retailer to make a pur-
resources is like. The United
Assistance Program chase. One of the interesting
States Department of Agricul-
(SNAP) developments following the
ture’s (USDA) Economic Re-
release of the SNAP Retail Lo-
search Service (ERS) did just
In addition to helping under- cator is that while the tool was
that in spring of 2011, when it
stand context, GIS can be a built for SNAP benefit recipi-
released the Food Desert Lo-
valuable resource in making ents, an “Unintended user was
cator. A food desert is a “low-
also the SNAP eligibility

30. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
30.
workers out in the states who This will help to avoid circum- I n other words, GIS is enabling
are working with individuals stances in which a researcher an entire ecosystem of agen-
to qualify and authorize them does not realize a map exists cies, nonprofits, and compa-
to receive SNAP benefits.” The with specific information and nies to understand all of the
tool not only helps current “end up duplicating work that’s work being performed that
recipients make better buy- already been done or relying could affect its own work in
ing decisions, but it also helps on an inferior product.” In a any given region.
state employees make better similar move, the U.S. Agency
decisions when determining for International Development
eligibility and working with (USAID) launched a GeoCenter, As organizations increase their
new beneficiaries to maximize which USAID Administrator Dr. use of GIS to become more
the value of the program. Rajiv Shah touted as “The first transparent, it becomes pos-
key step in enabling anyone sible to improve resource al-
in the world to visit a GIS map, location by taking advantage
click on a country, understand of each other’s resources. For
Coordinating Across Orga- where all of our projects are, instance, one group of sepa-
nizations what they’re doing, and the rate jurisdictions created a GIS
kinds of results they’re get- collaboration group in Fulton
GIS In Focus: USAID ting,” which will make USAID’s County, Georgia.
work “far more accessible,
The potential for organiza- transparent and effective.”
tions to derive value from GIS
increases as more and more
industries and organizations The Fulton GIS Collaboration Group listed four significant
discover new uses for geo-tag-
ging and mapping their data. benefits of collaboration for the jurisdictions involved :
As more organizations collect
geographic data and integrate
GIS into their workflows and
programs, new opportunities + Elimination of redundant + Potential to save costs
exist to improve efficiency. maintenance for data that through identifying points of
Perhaps some of the biggest existed in multiple places. project integration.
of these efficiency gains could
arise from increased transpar-
ency into organizations’ data
and the associated ability of
organizations to complement + An ability to share + Improved accuracy of
each other’s work. technology and knowledge allocation of taxes collected.
resources.
The USDA, which has 29 sepa-
rate divisions that use geospa-
tial information, is working to
create a central repository of
GIS maps and information.

31. 31.
STATEOFGIS
A PROMISING FUTURE
GIS holds the potential to improve the ability of individuals, organi-
zations, and governments to better understand problems, devise and
prioritize solutions, and to collaborate and improve transparency in ad-
ministering programs. With myriad organizations that collect data and
provide services at the intersection of public health and social welfare,
the potential impact of GIS is significant. GIS holds potential for gov-
ernment to more fully understand and access information related to
nutritious food, exercise facilities, healthcare, as well as the potential
for development, and growing food locally. It will be exciting to see
how more organizations follow the lead of those listed here to find new
ways of developing and delivering solutions through the use of GIS.

32. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
32.
Building the
Base Map
for
Citizen
engagement
“With advances in technology, a greater information exchange between government
agencies and the public has occured. The amount of data created...can be
daunting for agencies to present and process in order to effec-
tively engage with and respond to the community. “
The primary goal for government is to provide use of Web 2.0 technology to make govern-
services for citizens; critical to achieving that ment more transparent, participatory, and col-
mission is gaining a better understanding of laborative. Using GIS technology, public ser-
what services a community values. Providing vants have developed innovative ways of both
information and receiving feedback are the providing better access to data, as well as more
fundamental processes of citizen engagement. adeptly processing feedback received from cit-
With advances in technology, a greater infor- izens. The accessibility of data allows agencies
mation exchange between government agen- to be more transparent; the opportunity for
cies and the public has occurred. The amount citizen analysis of data increases government
of data created through this exchange, howev- accountability and participation. Also, having
er, can be daunting for agencies to present and a clear feedback cycle allows for additional col-
process in order to effectively engage with and laboration between government and the pub-
respond to the community. lic.
Advances in technology have paved the way While open data sets are an important aspect
for the continued evolution of Gov 2.0, or the of the open data movement, it is only the first

33. 33.
STATEOFGIS
step in increasing and improv- of Data.gov, there is a clear
ing citizen engagement. In platform for agencies to use to
Step 1
Esri’s Fall 2011 newsletter for provide access to critical data
Government Matters, six clear sets. Begin with Authoritative,
steps are presented for ad- Hig Value Data
vancing citizen engagement At the federal level, the Open
within an agency. Originally Data Initiative has aimed to
entitled the “Anatomy of a Gov “liberate” government data
2.0 Solution,” each step repre- by making traditional govern-
sents a path toward furthering
citizen understanding and en-
ment data publicly available,
in an effort to improve the
Step 2
gagement. lives of Americans and cre-
ate economic opportunity. As Push Data to Citizens
Step 1: Begin with Authorita- a part of this movement, the
tive, High Value Data White House also launched
Step 2: Push Data to Citizens the Presidential Innovation
Step 3: Allow Citizen Analysis Fellows program, which pairs
Step 4: Create a Citizen Feed-
back Loop
top innovators from the pri-
vate sector, non-profits, and
Step 3
Step 5: Update Authoritative academia with top innovators Allow Citizen Analysis
Data in government to collaborate
Step 6: Increase Operational on projects.
Awareness
For state and local govern-
Whether your agency is still ments, there are also clear ex-
identifying high value data to
provide to the public, or has
amples of cities throughout
the United States that are set-
Step 4
already pushed out this infor- ting the bar for access to high
mation and needs to solicit value, timely, critical informa-
Create a Citizen Feedback
citizen feedback, these steps, tion. Brand Niemman, the Di- Loop
along with the illustrative case rector and Senior Data Scien-
studies for each step, should tist at SemanticCommunity.
help your agency effectively net, spoke with Christopher
implement GIS technology. Dorobek of the DorobekIN-
SIDER to discuss the open data Step 5
Step 1: Begin with Author- movement’s unrealized po-
itative, High Value Data tential. In their conversation,
Update Authoritative
he emphasized that releasing
The movement toward open information critical to govern- Data
data has been a catalyst for ment services and decision-
Gov 2.0 and has increased making should be the highest
citizen engagement. Govern- priority for agencies.
ment agencies maintain high-
quality, reliable data sets that To better facilitate the shar-
Step 6
serve as a foundation for Gov ing of high value data, Niem-
man stated that government Increase Operational
2.0 initiatives. Since the launch
“Should build a data science Awareness

34. THEGOVLOOPGUIDE
34.
the Open Data Initiative
has aimed to “liberate” government data by making
traditional government data publicly available, in an
effort to improve the lives of Americans and create
economic opportunity.
community in the agencies.” the open data movement, and along with three other cities
He elaborated by suggest- will allow for greater innova- throughout the United States.
ing that, “Agencies should put tion with GIS. As one survey Prior to this venture, however,
forward a statistician or data participant states, “Share your Seattle launched data.seattle.
scientist to be the points of data, locate and maintain out- gov in early 2010 and had been
contact. Because right now, a side data sources.” a leading force in the open
lot of the points of contact for data movement. Even earlier,
the data.gov activities are not GIS In Focus: Data. in 2006 the city had pioneered
those people – are not the sub- seattle.gov their “My Neighborhood Map”,
ject matter experts, the statis- an interactive mapping tool
ticians, or the data scientists.” This year the City of Seattle, that opened important city
Putting forth experts to select Washington, joined the Data. data to the public, including
high value data would advance gov venture, cities.data.gov, food bank locations, hospitals
and health centers, schools,
and more.
The launch of data.seattle.gov
allowed public access to au-
thoritative, high value infor-
mation. The datasets include
detailed budget information,
active business licensing data,
crime data, and several hun-
dred other data sets. Begin-
ning with data that is impor-
tant to the public has made
the platform more successful,
as this is the type of informa-
tion that most directly impacts
Data.seattle.gov the citizens of Seattle.

35. 35.
STATEOFGIS
While the information has data.cityofchicago.org
been accessible via Seattle’s
website for several years, join-
ing cities.data.gov has been
an exciting opportunity for
the city. As D’Anne Mount of
the Seattle Department of In-
formation Technology wrote
to the Seattle Weekly, joining
data.gov “Increases awareness
and visibility of available data
streams to a broader audience.
It also provides a centralized
repository for developers and
citizens to find data without
needing to visit individual
sites”. Though cities.data.gov
began with just four cities, as nipulate and interpret these cago’s Crime Maps
of now there are, in total, fif- datasets, providing a context
teen cities that have joined the for the data will allow more With almost 2,000 data feeds
movement. citizens to utilize the informa- on their site, data.cityofchi-
tion. GIS visualization puts cago.org, the City of Chicago,
The City of Seattle, as well as data into a visual context, al- Illinois, has made an incredible
the fourteen other cities with lowing users to view informa- effort to improve transparency
similar initiatives, has shown tion in a format with which for residents. Building upon
how data can be empowering they are familiar. A significant that progress, in addition to
and create a more dynamic amount of data has a geospa- the incredible number of data-
and engaged citizenry. High tial element, and organizing sets provided, the city has also
value, authoritative data is es- information geographically is offered context for using GIS
sential to any GIS initiative; in more intuitive for viewers. software. Datasets on fire sta-
order to encourage the devel- tions, street closure permits,
opment of web applications Mapping data can dramatical- bike racks, and many more,
and other innovative online ly improve transparency and have been overlaid on city
tools, cities need to provide a accountability across all levels maps to allow users to easily
data platform for developers. of government. Public works, view and interpret the infor-
public safety, parks and recre- mation.
ation, and other areas across
Step 2: Push Data to Citi- federal, state, and local gov- The City of Chicago’s Police
zens ernment provide services to Department has made de-
citizens. Pushing data to citi- tailed information on reported
Making datasets open to the zens in formats they can easily incidents of crime available on
public is a necessary first step view and understand increases the data site. This information
in facilitating greater citizen citizen engagement with pub- is presented in a spreadsheet
engagement. While data ana- lic agencies and their missions. with thousands of rows, each
lysts and programmers may representing a unique crime.
have the ability to readily ma- GIS In Focus: Chi- Viewing the crime spread-