established funding strategies, and Additional staffing and resources are needed infrastructure. at the statewide level to oversee coordination The demand for GIS is growing and recognized. activities and establish governance standards. The current economic situation has created an It is difficult to discern the number of opportunity for shared service offerings and positions in Washington State consolidation of similar functions. Support for government. GIS position-classifications do these activities is very widespread among all not exist, and GIS support is often scattered levels of state government. throughout an agency. GIS is often not centralized as part of an agency’s IT department. It is difficult to assess the cost of GIS in our current statewide accounting system. Often, GIS costs are not identified in IT project reporting. Most GIS funding mechanisms penalize the service provider or those who are early adopters. State agencies may be reluctant to consolidate or contribute resources, especially if they are currently able to meet agency needs. Decision makers do not understand the full value of GIS. This lack of understanding has undermined the adoption of the technology as an essential component of IT projects. Opportunities Threats The current economic situation is encouraging Products like Google Earth have given GIS all agencies “to make do with less.” This trend mainstream exposure. However, these has brought greater support for reducing products have also given the impression that redundancy, taking advantage of partnership GIS is free. This causes the public to believe opportunities, finding innovative solutions, that all GIS services should be free. and exploring options to enhance long term Implementation of GIS services and data viability. collection has protracted cost requirements, Environmental regulations are driving a need when compared to traditional IT systems. for consistent spatial information for permit Decision makers need to be educated as to the approval and to report on compliance return on investment that GIS services can activities. provide. Federal agencies are requiring more spatial State agencies vary in their spatial positional reporting on activities, often as a deliverable and relative accuracy requirements. Finding and contingency associated with the receipt of common ground may prove difficult, or may federal funding. result in some agencies’ inability to fully participate in the use of shared services, and Private companies depend on spatial data the need for some agencies to create and produced by governmental entities to provide
established funding strategies, and infrastructure. The demand for GIS is growing and recognized. The current economic situation has created an opportunity for shared service offerings and consolidation of similar functions. Support for these activities is very widespread among all levels of state government. Additional staffing and resources are needed at the statewide level to oversee coordination activities and establish governance standards. It is difficult to discern the number of positions in Washington State government. GIS position-classifications do not exist, and GIS support is often scattered throughout an agency. GIS is often not centralized as part of an agency’s IT department. It is difficult to assess the cost of GIS in our current statewide accounting system. Often, GIS costs are not identified in IT project reporting. Most GIS funding mechanisms penalize the service provider or those who are early adopters. State agencies may be reluctant to consolidate or contribute resources, especially if they are currently able to meet agency needs. Decision makers do not understand the full value of GIS. This lack of understanding has undermined the adoption of the technology as an essential component of IT projects. Opportunities The current economic situation is encouraging all agencies “to make do with less.” This trend has brought greater support for reducing redundancy, taking advantage of partnership opportunities, finding innovative solutions, and exploring options to enhance long term viability. Environmental regulations are driving a need for consistent spatial information for permit approval and to report on compliance activities. Federal agencies are requiring more spatial reporting on activities, often as a deliverable and contingency associated with the receipt of federal funding. Private companies depend on spatial data produced by governmental entities to provide Threats Products like Google Earth have given GIS mainstream exposure. However, these products have also given the impression that GIS is free. This causes the public to believe that all GIS services should be free. Implementation of GIS services and data collection has protracted cost requirements, when compared to traditional IT systems. Decision makers need to be educated as to the return on investment that GIS services can provide. State agencies vary in their spatial positional and relative accuracy requirements. Finding common ground may prove difficult, or may result in some agencies’ inability to fully participate in the use of shared services, and the need for some agencies to create and
GIS_as_a_Shared_Service.docx