Public access to government-held geographic information system (GIS) data is a topic of major concern for governments, users, and businesses. The governments and value-added developers, as the holders of the GIS data, realize the tremendous role they play in the way they structure and communicate such GIS data for public access. This paper focuses on the role that the governments play in providing public access to GIS data at a minimal cost of dissemination. It analyzes the First Amendment and the U.S. Copyright Act's underlying policies as they relate to the providing of public access to GIS data. This paper also highlights the shift in federal information policies with particular emphasis on the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. This paper surveys some state experiences and initiatives in providing access to GIS data. Free public access to government-held GIS is exemplified by the experiences of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Montana National Resource Information System, and the Montana State Library. State initiatives and experiments include the Montana Interagency GIS Technical Working Group and the Florida Comprehensive Land Information Program.
Keene Matsunaga
Esri
Redlands, CA
Fax: 909-307-3020
Email: kmatsunaga@Esri.com
Jack Dangermond
Esri
Redlands, CA