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The Wisconsin Geographic Information Coordination Council (WIGICC) is a newly formed organization that serves as the primary forum and coordinating body for geographic information and technology in the State of Wisconsin. WIGICC offers a model for coordination that is inclusive, representative, and participatory. The overarching goal of WIGICC is to give all stakeholders within the geospatial community a voice in statewide initiatives. Thus, the proposed model includes two equally important components – a Council and a stakeholder “Network.”
The role of WIGICC is to:
Provide statewide leadership, guidance, and strategic planning;
Facilitate the equitable creation, access and sharing of geographic information;
Evaluate and promote geographic information standards, best practices, and policies;
Identify funding to support and maintain geographic information; and
Advise and consult with decision makers on the appropriate use of geographic information to address critical societal issues.
Interim Council
The Council serves as a leadership body that works to strategically coordinate geographic information resources so that they are applied effectively, efficiently, and equitably to meet local and statewide needs. The State Geographic Information Officer (GIO), working closely with the geospatial community, will seek ways to strategically implement the Council’s recommendations. The Council also serves as a conduit through which the interests and concerns of Wisconsin’s geospatial community can be directed to appropriate policy makers.
Fifteen voting-members will sit on the interim Council, including liaisons from local, county, state, federal, and tribal governments, regional planning commissions, academia, not-for-profits, and the private sector. The State Cartographer and GIO are non-voting members.
Network
The stakeholder Network provides an open forum for a wide range of stakeholders to communicate and to engage in the cooperative development and use of geographic information resources. It also will identify issues and make recommendations to the Council on appropriate actions and policies. Ideally, the Network will reach beyond traditional geospatial communities into communities such as emergency management, public health, economic development, and education.
“Communities of practice” are encouraged to form within the Network around common interests and needs. For example, the State Agency Geographic Information Coordination (SAGIC) team will be one of the Communities of Practice within the Network. SAGIC serves as the primary advisory group and forum for state agency programs, the GIO, and other interested groups that deal with the business and/or technical geospatial issues of state government. Other communities are in the process of organizing, such as federal agencies with active geospatial programs in Wisconsin, and the geospatial business community. Communities of practice may formulate issue papers, propose solutions, and review Council activities, as well as share knowledge and expertise within their own community.
Value of WIGICC
Statewide coordination of geographic information and technology will better situate Wisconsin for emergency preparedness and response, economic competitiveness, public health delivery, environmental management, educational opportunities, and the efficient delivery of services to the public. The WIGICC provides a much-needed systematic and collaborative approach to the coordination of Wisconsin’s geographic information assets.
While building on a long history of cooperative geographic information activities in the state achieved through the Wisconsin Land Information Program (WLIP), this effort offers a new model that is appropriate for the times and mitigates some of the deficiencies of previous arrangements. The overarching objective for the Council is to give all stakeholder groups within the geographic information community a voice in the decision making process regarding statewide initiatives. Similarly, WIGICC provides the means for the SCO and GIO to engage the geographic information community, which includes individuals and organizations that have a need for geographic information and technology to address their needs, but are not necessarily the primary creators or custodians of geographic information. WIGICC facilitates the coordination of previously disconnected and duplicative efforts to encourage data sharing and collaboration, to maximize limited resources, and to improve services and efficiencies.