Nomination Form. Clearinghouse. New York State Office for Technology. Address: State Capitol-ESP, PO Box

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1 NASIRE 2001 RECOGNITION AWARDS Recognizing Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Innovative Use of Technology Nomination Form Title of Nomination: Manager/Job Title: Agency: NYS Geographic Information Systems Clearinghouse William F. Pelgrin Executive Deputy Commissioner New York State Office for Technology Address: State Capitol-ESP, PO Box 2062 City: Albany, NY Telephone: Fax Number: Category for Judging: Innovative Use of Technology Person Nominating (if different than above): N/A NYS Geographic Information Systems Clearinghouse Executive Summary The New York State Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Clearinghouse, operated by the New York State Office for Technology, was established in December 1996 and is the major central repository for geographic information systems data in New York State. The Clearinghouse represents a highly effective method of using Internet applications to establish an electronic data sharing mechanism. The intent of the Clearinghouse is to provide one-stop shopping for general GIS information and GIS activities in New York State, including the GIS Data Sharing Cooperative. Since its establishment, the Clearinghouse has become the cornerstone of the Statewide GIS Coordination Program and provides access to the New York State GIS Metadata and Data Repository. 1

2 In addition to these primary functions, the Clearinghouse provides information on and links to GIS education and training opportunities; other state and Federal GIS resources, including downloadable data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the USGS; GIS user groups throughout New York; and GIS-related listservs. The Clearinghouse rapidly grew from one page to a one stop place to find GIS information composed of more than 1,600 files and 31,000 links. Major features of the GIS Clearinghouse include an inventory of all GIS datasets available from the over 330 members that form the GIS Data Sharing Cooperative (including New York State agencies, local governments, not-for-profits, other states and the federal government); electronic access to agency GIS datasets; a GIS metadata repository that has been designated by the Federal Geographic Data Committee as a node for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure; and an Internet mapping application, which was the first Internet mapping application to deliver digital orthophotography in the country. The GIS Clearinghouse is a unique approach to data sharing. The Clearinghouse, as a major feature of the State s GIS Coordination Program, has improved government operations because of its collaborative nature, involving a broad range of stakeholders from all sectors of the State GIS Community. Participation from such a varied group has resulted in positive improvements to the data shared on the Clearinghouse. It s a centralized, coordinated approach to developing, using and sharing GIS data. Governments no longer have to recreate the GIS data. Data is now more easily shared between State and local governments at minimum or no cost. While the Clearinghouse has been established to provide support for Statewide GIS applications, nothing in its development would limit its use to the GIS environment. Description of the project Prior to the development of the NYS GIS Clearinghouse, the cornerstone of the NYS GIS Coordination Program, there was no central or convenient method for users to obtain GIS data available in New York State. In particular, small agencies or local governments often didn t have the resources to create and maintain GIS data, and were therefore at a disadvantage among other, larger entities. In addition, there was often duplication in the creation of datasets. In an effort to encourage the development of and coordinate the use of GIS across the State, Governor George Pataki established the NYS GIS Coordination Program in September 1996 under the direction of the New York State Office for Technology. The Coordination Program is focused on the establishment and maintenance of a framework for data sharing within the State and implementation of a mechanism to facilitate that sharing. The framework for that data sharing is the New York State GIS Data Sharing Cooperative, which is open at no 2

3 charge to all levels of government and not-for-profits; the mechanism that facilitates that sharing is the NYS GIS Clearinghouse. The New York State Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Clearinghouse, operated by the New York State Office for Technology, was established in December 1996 and is the major central repository for geographic information systems data in New York State. The Clearinghouse represents a highly effective method of using Internet applications to establish an electronic data sharing mechanism. The intent of the Clearinghouse is to provide one-stop shopping for general GIS information and GIS activities in New York State, including the GIS Data Sharing Cooperative. Since its establishment, the Clearinghouse has become the cornerstone of the Statewide GIS Coordination Program and provides access to the New York State GIS Metadata and Data Repository. In addition to these primary functions, the Clearinghouse provides information on and links to GIS education and training opportunities; other state and Federal GIS resources, including downloadable data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the USGS; GIS user groups throughout New York; and GIS-related listservs. The Clearinghouse rapidly grew from one page to a one stop place to find GIS information composed of more than 1,600 files and 31,000 links. The Clearinghouse will be undergoing a major re-design in order to better serve its customers, and will include the development of a spatial data warehouse that will deliver GIS data for the State s e-commerce/e-government Initiative, as well as to users across the State. Major features of the GIS Clearinghouse include the following: An inventory of all GIS datasets available from the over 330 members that form the GIS Data Sharing Cooperative. Members include NYS agencies, local governments, not-for-profits, other states and the federal government. This inventory includes agencies in the Cooperative, contacts and addresses, descriptions of datasets, and electronic access where available. Electronic access to agency GIS datasets. The site includes an option for password protection as well as an automatic log of all transactions to determine cost savings through data sharing. A GIS metadata repository that has been designated by the Federal Geographic Data Committee as a node for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. Electronic Forms. Much of the data on the Clearinghouse is easily updated by the use of electronic forms. Information from around the State 3

4 such as addresses and contacts for regional user groups, participants in the Statewide coordination program, agency contacts for data sharing, education and training opportunities (including course listings at universities), research, conferences, publications, reference material and creating links to related sites can all be submitted electronically. Listservs. The Clearinghouse features an active, State GIS listserv, which provides a quick, convenient method to obtain or disburse information on GIS related problems, issues or ideas across the State. In addition, access to regional, national and international listservs is provided. Interactive-Electronic Mail. is automatically provided by doubleclicking on the names of contacts for data sharing and participants in the Coordination program. Gateway. The Clearinghouse has been established as a gateway from the National Spatial Data Clearinghouse to New York State to regional clearinghouses within New York State. As such, searches of metadata from the National site will be moved electronically through the State Clearinghouse to regional ones including the Cornell University geospatial information repository. Internet Mapping Application. This was the first Internet mapping application to deliver digital orthophotography in the country. This application provides easy access to locate specific places within New York State, and to view and download this information. Significance to the improvement of the operation of government The GIS Clearinghouse is a unique approach to data sharing. The Clearinghouse, as a major feature of the State s GIS Coordination Program, has improved government operations because of its collaborative nature, involving a broad range of stakeholders from all sectors of the State GIS Community. Participation from such a varied group has resulted in positive improvements to the data shared on the Clearinghouse. It s a centralized, coordinated approach to developing, using and sharing GIS data. Governments no longer have to recreate the GIS data. Data is now more easily shared between State and local governments at minimum or no cost. Benefits realized by service recipients, taxpayers, agency or state By having a wealth of GIS information available online, from a central location through the Clearinghouse, citizens and other users are able to easily find and 4

5 access general GIS information. The ease of access to this data has also helped to spur new methods of locating government services. map-ny is an online resource ( available from the Clearinghouse and provides the gateway to locating State government services geographically. Additionally, the Clearinghouse also provides access to a number of State, local and national GIS applications Return on investment, short-term/long-term payback Through the first eight months of operation, 8,500 datasets estimated value of over $2,000,000--were exchanged through the Cooperative and the State Clearinghouse as well as the Cornell repository. This was more than ten times the amount that had historically occurred in previous years. In 2000, over 275,000 datasets, valued estimated to be over $13,000,000 were distributed through the Clearinghouse. This represents not only a significant improvement in efficient delivery of GIS data, but also a substantial cost savings to GIS users in government who would otherwise be required to recreate or purchase this data. While the Clearinghouse has been established to provide support for Statewide GIS applications, nothing in its development would limit its use to the GIS environment. In fact, many of the lessons learned from its creation could be easily re-applied to a host of other large-scale data sharing needs. New York State s collaborative approach to GIS information sharing is part of a National Science Foundation study being conducting through the Center for Technology in Government, part of the State University of New York. 5