A State GIS Center for Connecticut

• Introductions
• The Need
• Past Efforts
• The Road to Legislation
• Legislation Summary
• Going Forward

From the GIS Coordination for Connecticut Story Map

Created in June of 2005 under  Public Act 05-3  with the mission to (1) coordinate a uniform geospatial information system capacity and (2) promote a forum in which geospatial information may be centralized and distributed.

Effective July 1, 2013, in accordance with Section 6 of Public Act 13-299, The Geospatial Information Systems Council was eliminated and the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) was designated as its successor department.

In 2013, OPM was formally set as the successor to the Geospatial Council in Chapter 61b, Sec.  4d-90  called Geospatial Information Systems.

HB 5476 set out to create a working group consisting of key people from different state agencies and other sectors to study the need and feasibility of establishing a centralized, coordinated statewide GIS center for Connecticut. The working group had three tasks:

1. an examination of GIS expertise and mapping within the state
2. an examination of GIS centers in other similar states (all of which have GIS coordination to some degree)
3. recommendations for establishing a GIS Center in Connecticut

Interviewed folks from 7 other states. The team asked about

• Where is the GIS Center housed (agency, partnership, etc.)?
• Is there enabling legislation?
• How many staff?
• What is the budget?
• What are the responsibilities?
• What works and doesn’t work?

Summary Findings:

The group interviewed approximately 40 instate entities including state agencies, COGs, universities, utilities, private companies and others. The team asked about:

• GIS related programs and how they benefit the agency/organization
• How many GIS people
• What datasets they have and maintain and if is made available to the public
• What external datasets they use and where they get them
• How much do they budget for GIS and is there top-level support
• Recommendations for the organization to better leverage GIS
• What improvements or investments the state should be making concerning GIS technology, data and capacity
• Other thoughts and recommendations

Summary Findings:

Explained in the  GIS Coordination for Connecticut Story Map  and  A Policy Document of the Statewide GIS Task Force , but worth stating here too.

- Established via State Statute

- Be a stand-alone entity lead by a Geographic Information Officer (GIO)

- Dedicated Staff

- Be directed by an Advisory Council

- Funding

Section 1. Create a Geographic Information Systems Advisory Council

Section 2. Designate an employee within OPM to serve as Geographic Information Systems Officer.

Section 1a. Establish a Geographic Information Systems Office within OPM.

Section 1b. Designate an employee of the Office of Policy and Management to serve as Geographic Information Officer. 

Section 2. Create a Geographic Information Systems Council.

• Section 78a. Establish a Geographic Information Systems Office within OPM and designate a Geographic Information Officer.

1. Oversee operations of the Geographic Information Systems Office
2. Manage staff of such office
3. In conjunction with the Geographic Information Systems Advisory Council, establish goals for such office

Section 78b. The Geographic Information Office shall be responsible for

1. Coordinating the collection, compilation and dissemination of geographic information systems data across the state, including from and to state agencies, regional councils of governments, municipalities and other constituencies;
2. managing a geospatial data clearinghouse for public access to such information through the online repository described in subsection (i) of section 4-67p of the general statutes;
3. supporting economic development efforts in the state through the provision of such information;
4. providing training and outreach on the use of such information;
5. administering the creation and acquisition of geospatial data, including aerial imagery and elevation and parcel information;
6. adopting geospatial data standards, guidelines and procedures to ensure consistency and quality of such data; and
7. performing technical data processing to aggregate and organize existing data sets and create new data sets. 

Section79a. Create a Geographic Information Systems Advisory Council to consult with the Geographic Information Officer on matters relating to

1. the coordination, procurement, processing, storage and distribution of free and public geographic information systems data; and
2. the advisory council shall develop priorities and an annual five-year plan and make recommendations to the Geographic Information Officer concerning such priorities and plan.

Section 79b. List of members of the Geographic Information Systems Advisory Council.

Section 80. New language regarding the Connecticut Data Analysis Technology Advisory Board to add the Geographic Information Officer and geospatial data considerations.

Authoritative data will continue to live at appropriate state agencies

Broadband mapping, statewide parcels, town boundaries, basemapping acquisitions, data standards, open data clearinghouse

Build upon the successes of agencies with dedicated GIS staff:

To create all-encompassing open data solutions:

Projects in support of Governor Lamont's broadband initiative:

• Statewide imagery and elevation data: $2.5 million
• Statewide parcel mapping and municipal boundary alignment: $1.1 million
• Statewide building footprints: $500,000

CT State GIS Center will not have capacity to handle all GIS in Connecticut and was never intended to do so. It is a coordinating center and we all need to have realistic expectations!