|
Significant progress towards achievement of the MetroGIS vision was made during the 1996 calendar
year. The following summary outlines important accomplishments made by participants in the MetroGIS Initiative, by the
Metropolitan Council that support the goals of MetroGIS, and other related accomplishments.
MetroGIS Milestones
- Completed the strategic planning process to define the MetroGIS mission, organizational
structure, and strategic issues that need to be addressed to move the MetroGIS from concept to reality.
- Created the MetroGIS Coordinating Committee to guide the initial decision making for the
MetroGIS effort.
- Adopted the name "MetroGIS" and created a logo.
- Defined the term "stakeholder," defined a process to obtain formal endorsement from key
stakeholders, and obtained endorsement of the MetroGIS mission and organizational structure from all eleven currently
identified key stakeholder organizations (Metropolitan Council, all seven metro area counties, Association of
Metropolitan Municipalities [AMM] for cities, Technology Information Education Services [TIES] for school districts,
and the Metro Chapter of MN Association of Watershed Districts [MAWD] for watershed districts).
- Successfully recruited persons with appropriate expertise to serve on each of the four Strategic
Issue Advisory Teams that report to the Coordinating Committee. Over 65 persons are serving on these Teams in addition
to the 20 persons that serve on the Coordinating Committee and the 12 elected/appointed officials that will be serving
on the MetroGIS Policy Board.
- Each of the four Advisory Teams made significant progress on strategic issues assigned by the
Coordinating Committee:
Access Team: Identified an Internet compatible approach to: a) index the data holdings of
organizations affiliated with the MetroGIS, b) distribute metadata, c) share data, d) provide answers to information
queries from the data holdings.
Data Content: Guided the design and implementation of a Business Object Modeling project to identify
important data needs common to multiple organizations that serve the Metro Area. Not only was significant progress made
to identify important shared information needs but the process also has contributed to expansion of broad-based support
for the objectives of the MetroGIS.
Policy Team: Designed the organizational structure and the MetroGIS endorsement process. Both tasks
were designed to expand the base of support for the MetroGIS initiative and to insure broad-based input into the
decision making to move the MetroGIS from concept to reality.
Standards Team: Identified a metro-wide coordinate system guideline and began to craft a process that
the Team will use to define data sharing standards for data needs identified by the Content Advisory Team.
The MetroGIS Internet site began operation in September. A pamphlet explaining the MetroGIS
initiative was also produced in September. Both have become widely used tools to promote MetroGIS.
Metropolitan Council Milestones
- Defined the Metropolitan Council's role in the creation of the MetroGIS.
- The Metropolitan Council adopted guidelines for approval of Interim Data and Cost Sharing
Agreements and MetroGIS Pilot Projects.
- Interim GIS Data and Cost Sharing Agreements were executed with Carver, Dakota, Ramsey and Scott
Counties. Discussions were initiated with Anoka, Hennepin, and Washington County staff.
- Three pilot projects were authorized: data fair documentation, use of cable as a GIS
transmission medium, method to commonly illustrate zoning and land use designations for multiple jurisdictions. (These
projects are separate from projects included in the data and cost sharing agreements.)
- The value of a Metro Area cooperative aerial flight program was demonstrated. Council staff
coordinated the cooperative development of flight and product specifications that met a variety of government needs.
Dakota, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties participated in the demonstration with the Metropolitan Council.
- MetroGIS support staff participated in three national program workshops to identify practical
ways to share GIS data between and among all levels of government.
- An agreement-in-principle was reached between MN/DOT, the Metropolitan Council, and The Lawrence
Group to provide free access to street centerline data maintained by The Lawrence Group for participants in the
MetroGIS. Data should be available through this agreement in early 1997.
- Agreements were reached between the Metropolitan Council and various other organizations to
complete digital soils data for the entire Metro Area.
Other Milestones
- The Federal Geographic Data Committee(FGDC)/USGS approved a $124,000 grant request from the Land
Management Information Center (LMIC). The grant funds were requested to replicate the MetroGIS Business Object Modeling
Project for the State of Minnesota and to compare the results of the MetroGIS and State processes to the National
Framework Spatial Data elements that have been identified by the FGDC.
- Staff to the MetroGIS and members of the Coordinating Committee have attended numerous meetings
and conferences to promote the objectives of the MetroGIS and to promote participation.
|
