Abstract

Public Access to County GIS Basemap Data: the Supreme decision
Track: State and Local Government
Authors: Bruce Joffe

In 2009, the California Court of Appeal affirmed the public's right to Santa Clara County's GIS basemap data. In 2010, the Sierra Club sued Orange County for access to its GIS parcel basemap, and lost in both the trial court and Court of Appeal. Two cases, same kind of geodata, different outcomes. The California Supreme Court will soon decide the policy that will affect all California counties and perhaps national policy as well. We will discuss the facts of these cases and their implication for the GIS community.