An Interview with the USDOT GIO

Adenda Schutzberg has a five-question interview with USDOT GIO Steve Lewis up on DirectionsMag.com today. Mr. Lewis, who was with NSGIC in Colorado this fall and spoke this past March at the NSGIC Mid-Year, includes a gratifying shout-out to NSGIC when speaking about the role of a federal agency GIO.

But the part of the interview that caught my eye is where Mr. Lewis explains how his approach to coordinating the use of geospatial technologies will differ from past attempts in his agency, which focused on technical governance requirements.

There were no attempts to create a true sense of community, where the members can learn from each other and leverage the work that is being done across all of the DOT Operating Administrations. The community will, of course, address FGDC and OMB requirements, but it will also focus heavily on sharing experiences and working together.

This is an important aspect of coordination efforts that sometimes gets lost in the bureaucracy. NSGIC has, I think, done a fairly good job of building a community, and many of us working at the state level find that a sense of community and shared-purpose, while hard to measure, can be a valuable asset to coordination.

A Discussion of the Roles of the GIO and the State GIS Coordinator

The latest Directions on the News podcast features a discussion of the implications of the recent announcement of plans to appoint a GIO (Geospatial Information Officer) for the Department of the Interior. Joe Francica and Adena Schutzberg explore two basic some questions about the idea: is there time to find the right person? And, what should be the role of a GIO for such a large agency?

Two models fro the GIO role were discussed. One is a CIO focused on geographic issues. Ms. Shutzberg noted that a CIO tends to be a technology leader, someone who focuses on the technology sides of things but not as much on coordination with other levels of government.

The other model is that of the GIS Coordinators who make up much of the NSGIC membership, whose role "tends to be more about ... being the champion for GIS in the state."

Ms. Shutzberg added that a State GIS Coordinator does have to have some technical savvy (and that some have a great deal of technical savvy) but that the coordinator role is broader.

"...unifying the troops. Getting the partnerships together. Creating the vision. Working with the Governor and other state agencies. And it is far more of a, dare I say, political sort of role."

Joe Francica added that the State GIS Coordinator also serves as a liaison between the local and federal levels.

Both agreed that the GIO for a large federal agency such as Interior will need to fit the political role, and be able to coordinate among agencies and levels of government, with strong technical know-how. They concluded that the new GIO will have to be a "high-powered individual" and that it is a real question whether or not there will be time to find and appoint the right person before the end of the current administration.

This podcast makes interesting listening for all of those who work with agencies within the Department of the Interior, for those who now work as GIOs and for those who are State GIS Coordinators. Our roles are growing and changing as we adapt the shifting geospatial industry and the rapid growth of the use and sharing of geospatial data and information.

Agenda Posted for NGAC Meeting

A draft agenda is now posted for the next meeting of the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC). The meeting is set for June 3 and 4, at the American Institute of Architects Building in Washington, DC.

The agenda includes work on organization issues related to the creation of the NGAC and discussions of the Geospatial Line of Business, Imagery for the Nation, and a National Geospatial Strategy. The meeting is open to the public and there are opportunities for public comment.

Directions on the News Podcast Previews 2007 NSGIC Annual Conference

Joe Francica and Adena Schutzberg, of Directions Media, have posted a 12-minute Directions on the News podcast that looks ahead to the 2007 NSGIC Conference in Madison, Wisconsin.

In their discussion, Joe and Adena review the importance of GIS Coordination at all levels of government and discuss the potential for the new position of GIO (Geographic Information Officer) to meet that need.

They explore the differences between the roles of a GIO and a data coordinator and various areas in which each needs to have some expertise, from the technical, to the managerial, to the political.

There is also a brief discussion of the need to develop new GIS leaders for the future. Adena notes the role that NSGIC is now playing in developing new state-level leaders. She also points to the new URISA Leadership Academy and to new aspects of some Masters in Geographic Information Sciences programs.

"Information is a national asset"

The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the CIO Council have released a set of IT Architecture Principles for the U.S. Government, according to a story in Federal Computer World.

The Architecture Principles (PDF) are intended to support "a single Federal Enterprise Architecture to achieve operational excellence for the American public."

The Introduction includes a basic statement of purpose:

Government coordination depends upon consistent decision making across multiple business units, departments and projects. But a natural tension exists whenever more than 100 agencies and thousands of sub-agencies and programs must work together as one. An enterprise-wide architecture tries to create a framework for effective decision making across multiple business units. Otherwise, independent groups decide alone resulting in inconsistency, information islands, isolated business processes, and inefficient technologies. This mixture is a recipe for poor performance.

Among the seven principles is one that sounds a theme familiar to NSGIC members: "Information is a national asset."

The rationale for this principle speaks of the importance of "a well-informed citizenry" and notes that "accurate information is critical to effective decision making, improved performance, and accurate reporting."

Among the implications of this principle are several that reflect lessons learned by NSGIC members about geospatial data coordination:

• Government must "identify authoritative sources of high quality information, and agencies to provide access to specified data and information."
• This may require some "restructuring" of data sources.
• The federal government will need a strategy "to promote cost effective data sharing with other levels of government."
  

Job Posting: WV GIS Coordinator

The WV Geological Survey (State Agency) seeks to fill the Statewide Geographic Information System Coordinator (GIS) position which is housed in Charleston, WV. Interested candidates should respond by Friday, September 7, 2007.

Link: www.nsgic.org/news/giscoordinator.cfm

Job Posting: Idaho GIO

The State of Idaho has posted a Job Announcement for a Geospatial Information Officer (GIO) in the Office of the CIO:

The State of Idaho’s Office of the CIO is seeking a Geospatial Information Officer (GIO) to lead state government GIS efforts as well as serve as a collaborative leader for statewide GIS initiatives. This position will provide GIS direction and staff support to the state’s Information Technology Resource Management Council (ITRMC).

The job posting is open through July 23.

FGDC Releases 2006 Annual Report

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has released its 2006 Annual Report. The report is available on the FGDC web site in both PDF and HTML versions.

The report includes highlights and successes from th past year, as well as goals for 2007. There is also a status report on the NSDI Framework Data Themes.