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2024, 16:41 G-Gov

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Hammer Award- National Partnership for Reinventing Government

winning Links and
Resources LINKING INFORMATION AND PLACE IN THE
INFORMATION AGE
Envirofacts
January 12, 2001
Facts for You
INTRODUCTION
Federal Geographic
Data Clearinghouse NATIONAL SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE
Housing and Urban GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND REINVENTING
Development's E- GOVERNMENT
Maps
“G-GOV”: BETTER INFORMATION, BETTER SERVICE AND
National Atlas GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY

INTRODUCTION

Since early history, people have used maps to capture and display
information about their world. And from the time that President
Jefferson sent Lewis and Clark to survey the Louisiana Purchase,
federal agencies have played an important role in surveying,
mapping and displaying information about the United States - - its
land, waters, roads, weather and its people.

Today, because of information technology, for the first time it is

possible to integrate large amounts of information from many
sources and make it available over the web. Vice President Gore
described the potential:

“We have an unparalleled opportunity to turn a flood of raw data

into understandable information about our society and our planet
. . . If we are successful, it will have broad societal and
commercial benefits in areas such as education, decision-making
for a sustainable future, land-use planning, agricultural, and
crisis management.”

The National Partnership for Reinventing Government has

pursued this vision in three primary ways:

1. Calling for a cooperative public/private effort to create a

National Spatial Data Infrastructure to integrate
geographic information about the country;

2. Using information that is integrated and linked to geography

to support government reinvention; and

3. Developing electronic government supported by

geographic information to enhance government services and
make government more accountable for results on the
ground. We call this G-Gov.

NATIONAL SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE

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Building A National Spatial Data Infrastructure

In 1993, NPR called for a cooperative public/private effort

to create a National Spatial Data Infrastructure to integrate
geographic information about the country. Recommendation

In 1994, President Clinton signed Executive Order 12906

directing that the National Spatial Data Infrastructure be
created, strengthening the Federal Geographic Data
Committee and calling for the establishment of a national
clearinghouse and the development of standards to facilitate
the sharing of geographic information across agencies and
with the public. Executive Order

1994-2001: Secretary Bruce Babbitt chairs the Federal

Geographic Data Committee leading and coordinating
federal efforts. Highlights include:

FGDC activities and membership expanded to include

state, local and tribal governments, private sector and
other federal departments;

FGDC clearinghouse created in 1994;

Standards underway;

Framework data partially completed;

Cooperative grants program initiated with more than

300 grants by 2000;

Much federal data still paper, analog, not compatible

and hard to find; but

Significant federal, state & local investment provide

base for completing Infrastructure.

Financing the National Spatial Data Infrastructure

In March 1999, NPR hosted a White House Briefing on

innovative approaches to finance the NSDI. Financing (PDF
file)

Working with States to Build the National Spatial Data

Infrastructure

NPR worked with North Carolina, Federal Emergency

Management Agency and 15 other federal agencies to
develop a model memorandum of agreement and a $30
million cooperative program to redo the state's flood maps
following Hurricane Floyd.

NPR and FGDC co-sponsored an Office of Management

and Budget meeting on Geographic Information Systems,
July 18, 2000. Meeting Report. Following this meeting,
OMB adopted the cooperative federal/state model and
invited other states to join with the federal government to
create “I-Teams” to accelerate the completion of the NSDI.
Report (PDF file)

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GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND

REINVENTING GOVERNMENT

Beginning in1998, NPR promoted the use of information that is

integrated and linked to geography to support government
reinvention. In addition to encouraging traditional uses of this
information in environment and natural resources, NPR focused
on new uses to reduce crime, promote public safety, support smart
growth and provide more responsive information and services for
the public. Hammer Award Speech

Mapping Out Crime

A Department of Justice and NPR Task Force issued a report

in 1999 recommending ways the federal government could
help communities and police departments use information
technology to map crime, identify hot spots and reduce and
prevent crime. News Release. On July 12, 1999 Vice
President Gore announced the report and several steps that
the Department of Justice was taking to put crime
technology in the hands of police departments.

As of December 2000:

New software was available to police departments

and prosecutors at no cost, such as CrimeStat, Beat
Book and geographic information systems (GIS)
software for regional crime analysis (RCAGIS).
Mapping Tools

Distance and other training on crime mapping was

available to police departments;

Software had been developed to integrate information

on federal prosecutions, promoting better
coordination of federal law enforcement agencies; and

NPR initiated a national peer-to-peer network - -

SafeCities - - committed to reducing gun violence. As
part of the SafeCities initiative, Springfield,
Massachusetts demonstrated how mapping American
Community Survey data could help cities prevent
crime.

In December 2000, NPR presented a Hammer Award to the

Crime Mapping Research Center in the National Institute of
Justice.

Promoting Public Safety

NPR worked with several federal agencies to map the

locations of weather towers - - a key component of the
nation's early warning system for severe weather - - to
identify ways to make sure that limited funds to build new
towers were used most effectively. Speech

NPR supported pilot projects to integrate federal and local

information in flood-prone areas in San Diego and
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Tillamook County, Oregon. Tillamook used the information

to build flood protection and when floods struck, the county
to cut its losses significantly. Case Study

Following the Hurricane Floyd, NPR hosted a White House

meeting assessing the use of integrated information as part
of emergency response and preparation. Participants
identified the urgent need for better flood maps for
emergencies and also many opportunities to use integrated
information to support emergency response, recovery and
mitigation. As a result:

NPR and FEMA worked with North Carolina to

develop a model agreement to develop flood maps for
state. The state and FEMA committed nearly $30
million to fund the accelerated digital mapping
program. Sixteen federal agencies agreed to assist
state of North Carolina and signed FEMA's first
cooperating technical state agreement.

The US Geological Survey agreed to conduct a cost-

benefit analysis of integrated flood information.

The Coastal Services Center in South Carolina

documented best practices in the use of geographic
information systems to support emergency
management.

NPR also worked with FEMA to assess its needs for

an enterprise Geographic Information System.

Promoting Smart Growth

In 1998, Vice President Gore announced demonstration projects in

six communities to support locally-drive efforts to address land-
use planning and other issues. The communities got funding from
the Innovations Fund and had access to federal data sets and
support from federal agencies and the private sector. They were
able to integrate geographic data from multiple sources and use it
on easy-to-understand computerized maps. For example:

Gallatin County, Montana used the information to develop

its first ever land-use plan.

Citizens participated in developing a plan for green spaces

in Dane County, Wisconsin. They reported: “The citizen
planners in the Town of Verona have selected their Farm
Priority Zone and are close to completing their green space
park proposal. . . .maybe, just maybe, 50 years from now
someone will notice that the reason the Town of Verona is
still a special place was the result of its Year 2001 Land Use
Plan.”

Reinventing Social Services

Together with the Department of Health and Human Services,

NPR worked with Boost4Kids, a network of 13 counties and
states, to identify ways that integrated geographic information
could strengthen the delivery of health and other programs. NPR
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assisted Boost4Kids communities with data and software needs

and sponsored training in GIS at the Centers for Disease Control.
The communities have developed a number of applications, for
example:

Mapping location of uninsured kids in San Diego County to

better target outreach efforts;

Improving transportation routes for senior citizens in

Charlotte-Mecklenburg;

Planning afterschool programs in Baltimore, Maryland; and

Putting Vermont's community report card on the web.

“G-GOV”: BETTER INFORMATION, BETTER

SERVICE AND GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY
NPR supported the development of electronic government and the
use of geographic information to enhance government services
and make government more accountable for results on the ground.

Creating Electronic Government

In 1999, NPR launched with the Council for Excellence an

unprecedented public/private partnership to create electronic
government.

In 2000 NPR launched a “G-GOV” Working Group to

promote the use of geographic information as an essential
part of E-Gov. This group served as a catalyst for a variety
of projects, for example promoting greater efficiency in
federal fleet management, facilitating information sharing
about traffic along I-95 during emergency conditions;
locating government offices and services; and enhancing
information services for disabled Americans.

NPR recognized agency GIS initiatives with the Vice

President's Hammer Award, for example:

AirNow's Ozone Maps

Crime Mapping Research Center

Envirofacts

The National Atlas

NPR encouraged agencies to make it easy for citizens to

find information about their state and community on the
Internet and developed a one stop for federal website with
maps & localized information for the public: Facts For
You.

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