Fitting Together Everyone's Needs and Requirements

The Iowa GIS Service Bureau has been assisting IGIC (Iowa Geographic Information Council) with a grant it received from the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) last fall.  The grant was awarded to help IGIC write a business plan for creating  statewide parcels, address points, and aerial imagery.

 The most recent step in the business plan writing process was to gather data requirements and expand input on how these datasets will benefit all involved parties in Iowa.  First on the plate was parcels.  We surveyed people from as many different professional spheres as possible and got great results!  Almost 2/3s of respondents responded that statewide parcels would directly benefit their organization, and a number of the non-affirmatives commented that parcels in their section of the state would be of use to them.

 

The suggested uses of a final product varied from emergency management to public recreation planning and research opportunities to economic development.  Losing control of the data and timeliness of the information were two of the main concerns.  Though even with after raising concerns, there were many messages of support and hopes for success.  The policies of sharing data differ, but only 13% say they only charge for their data no matter who requests it.

The results were promising and we hope to write a quality plan for statewide collaboration.