Best Practices for Mission Applications

Utilizing GIS in a Small Office: A USAID Case Study

—Andrew Wiseman, USAID/OTI

Starting a GIS program in a small office can be difficult; harder still is making it a fully appreciated and integrated part of doing business. The U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Transition Initiatives is a small office that supports U.S. foreign policy objectives by helping local partners advance peace and democracy in priority countries in crisis. About 4 years ago, the office hired a part-time college student to test the waters to see if GIS and mapping was useful. Through a number of strategies, today every part of the office has bought into GIS and mapping as a vital and fully integrated part of their business model and the office's Geographic Information Unit is being looked at as a successful example of GIS deployment in the Agency. From one part-timer, there are now 3 (soon to be 5) GIS analysts, 1 GIS web developer, a graphic designer, and interns to come. The unit has created maps that have gone to senior White House and cabinet officials and team members have gone on temporary duty to a number of countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Colombia, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Non-GIS staff members use GPS cameras and Google Earth and regularly ask for maps for analysis and for presentations and new technologies are being tested and adopted. This presentation aims to show how GIS went from an under-utilized and little understood technology to a fully integrated part of doing business, using specific examples and strategies, illustrating technical and management challenges and solutions.