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How can GIS be applied to my job?
"There is a geospatial relationship for all events that occur on the earth's surface. Beyond the hardware, software, and personnel required to operate the GIS, the only limitations are imagination and supporting data. Approach applications from the end-user perspective: what relationships do they want to see and analyze?"
Richard Chaney
How can GIS be beneficial for all forms of government?
"GIS can be beneficial in many ways, but in the simplest of terms, it connects people to information through geography. Government can use GIS to store, manage, and access information about its facilities, people, and environment. It gives government officials a way to visualize data that helps them make decisions about project planning and economic development. It also allows them to disseminate a large quantity of information to the public in terms of where things and events are located."
Vince Guillet, GIS Specialist, Arkansas Geographic Information Office
What is the average replacement cycle of data and equipment?
"The average replacement cycle is 3 to 5 years for computers. Data such as satellite or aerial photography should be replaced as frequently as can be afforded. Data such as cadastral or road centerline data should be maintained weekly at minimum."
Shelby Johnson, State Geographic Information Coordinator, Arkansas Geographic Information Office
What is the startup cost and what is the maintenance cost of GIS?
"The cost to start up a GIS will vary dependent on the depth at which you begin. To begin a basic/low cost GIS would not be too expensive. First you would need a high-end computer workstation, which might cost around $2,000-$3,000. Next, you would need one of the various GIS software packages, costing $1,500-$3,000. Finally, the salary for a GIS Technician would be around $23,000-28,000/year. As for maintenance costs, the only cost would be the salary for the GIS Technician to maintain the data." Check out this GIS Cost Estimate.
Richie Pierce
"The U.S. Census Bureau produces road data, or a 'centerline' file, for each county in the United States that is publicly available at no fee as part of their TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing System) Line Files. Because these files are developed at the federal level rather than locally, there can be many discrepancies such as slight errors, missing records, and improper attribution. Also, this data is not updated very frequently, so the files aren't always current. However, it is important to note that the U.S. Census Bureau has a TIGER Modernization Program underway that will address most of these issues starting with the 2010 dataset. More information about TIGER can be accessed at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/maps/."
Vince Guillet
What is the source for your street data (i.e., TIGER Line, GDT, specific vendor)?
Centerline data can come from the federal level (U.S. Census Bureau) as well as commercial or custom data vendors. U.S. Census Bureau TIGER Line Files are not always accurate, so many agencies manipulate the files at the local level in order to have a more up-to-date centerline file.
How can GIS help our city maintain its water system?
"GIS can benefit a water utility by providing seamless integration of facility mapping. GIS can help the utility authenticate what type, how many, and where their assets are located, as well as when they are installed, what type of material they are made of, what their size is, and many other attributes. This allows the utility managers to model changes to the system or changes within the system. They can also print maps and reports to help them plan their improvement projects. Maps may also be used to help field technicians locate work order information. GIS also helps utilities comply with strict government regulations such as Government Accounting Standards Board Statement 34 (GASB34), National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), as well as many others."
Vince Guillet
What coordinate system should I use?
"For a city-based or county-based project, use State Plane Coordinate System. For a statewide or large multi-county project, use Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) or Geographic system."
Shelby Johnson
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