In the environmental services world, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an integral part of virtually every project.  We use GIS information to create field maps, define project boundaries, plot survey findings, and store and analyze spatial data for our clients.  Finally, we create maps that integrate all of the necessary spatial data on topographic and aerial imagery.  

Many of the standard GIS layers that we utilize, such as transportation lines, political boundaries, natural features, etc., are provided by state and local government agencies. This data is not always free.  There is a good deal of overlap, and occasionally conflicting data among agencies, and don’t get me started on the beast of aerial imagery. In many cases, our clients must provide the imagery for their project area, driving a continuous cost-benefit analysis to determine the appropriate degree of quality vs. data cost for every project. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a one-stop shop for GIS layers?  This dream may be realized in the not-so-distant future.  GIS managers across the land are pushing to form a nationwide system of imagery and spatial data, focusing on standardizing spatial data and imagery, eliminating data overlap, and minimizing costs of data maintenance.  The data would be collected and stored by a government agency and available for public use. This is good news for us taxpayers because it may be available to all of us, for free! 

Stay tuned for updates, and in the meantime, check out this cool article . . .  Government GIS Layers