shrug-l: What are the biggest challenges you face at work? What issues facing the GIS Profession are important?

[Tripp Corbin]

Every year URISA puts together an advocacy agenda of issues and problems it
works to address. This agenda is based completely on input from you, the GIS
Professionals that are in the trenches every day. So,  is a lack of training
or funding holding you back? Do you struggle to justify the value of GIS to
your boss? Would data standards, data-sharing agreements, and metadata make
your professional life better or worse? What are the topics of conversation
when you meet with your peers? Or are there others.

 

Let us know what you think URISA should try to focus on to make GIS a
stronger profession and successful community. 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2012WorkChallenges

 

URISA continues to make advances based on the Advocacy Agenda items,
including:

.        URISA has continued to produce high quality educational webinars,
including content on addressing, redistricting, the Capability Maturity
Model, flood hazards, web mapping, and Lidar this year.  Based on feedback
from last year's Advocacy Agenda survey, URISA has developed several low
cost training webinars and is working on even more. Further, they are
continuing to experiment with various methods to stream and record
conference sessions. Expect several of the Key presentations from this
year's GIS Pro Conference to be made available to URISA members.   (Advocacy
Agenda #3)

 

.        URISA developed a Return on Investment (ROI) Model to help members
prove the value of GIS. King County, Washington GIS program, using the URISA
Return on Investment model, produced a report indicating it has achieved
approximately a 10:1 ROI from GIS over the course of the program's 20-year
lifespan.  Multnomah County, Oregon is nearing completion of a study using
the URISA ROI Model, with results expected later this year.  (Advocacy
Agenda #1)

 

.        URISA's Local Agency GIS Capability Maturity Model (GISCMM) has
been tested by several local governments to assess the state of their GIS
operations and a task force in 2011 recommended changes.  Now that the URISA
Geospatial Management Competency Model has been accepted by the US
Department of Labor, the GISCMM will be refined by the new GIS Management
Institute and available for use in 2013.  (Advocacy Agenda #2)

 

.        The URISA Board continues to work with NSGIC on a national
addressing initiative.  NSGIC has taken the lead, forming a work group, and
the URISA Board has a member on the work group.  The work group is led by
URISA and NSGIC Past President Will Craig. (Advocacy Agenda #2)

 

.        URISA continues to work with the Coalition of Geospatial
Organizations to implement their national Geospatial Report Card.  An Expert
Panel, led by former Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer, has been meeting to
devise the first Report Card, expected in advance of the November election.
(Advocacy Agenda #2)

 

.        URISA is leading a work group of the Coalition of Geospatial
Organizations on data sharing, to develop a legal and policy framework that
will guide local, regional, tribal, and state governments in changing their
data sharing policies, statutes, and ordinances to promote better data
sharing. (Advocacy Agenda #2)

 

.        URISA developed a formal data sharing policy that reflects URISA's
role as an international organization and the need for the organization to
be aware of data policies and situations in many countries.
http://www.urisa.org/amicus_pr2_2012  (Advocacy Agenda #2)

 

.        URISA co-signed a Letter of Support for funding the Census Bureau's
American Community Survey, which was under fire in the U.S. House of
Representatives.  This Survey is a crucial source of data for decisions at
all levels of government in the U.S.
2012-05-16_Senate_Census_Budget_Ltr-SenateLeadership-Final-Signed.pdf
(Advocacy Agenda #1)

 

.        The Federal Geographic Data Committee endorsed the Thoroughfare,
Landmark and Postal Address Standard, which was initiated by URISA and
worked on for many years by the geospatial community, under URISA
leadership.  http://www.urisa.org/about/initiatives/addressstandard
(Advocacy Agenda #2)

 

.        The U.S. Department of Labor adopted URISA's Geospatial Management
Competency Model as part of its Geospatial Technology Competency Model, also
developed by URISA.  Of the 20 industry's that have developed Technology
Competency Models for the Department of Labor, the geospatial industry is
the only one that has completed a Management Competency Model, thanks to
URISA. (Advocacy Agenda #4)

 

.        URISA launched the GIS Management Institute (GMI) to advance the
stature of the GIS Profession and promote professional GIS management on a
stature equal to engineering, survey, IT, and project management.  By
defining the practice and value of professional GIS management, the GMI will
foster executive support and demonstrate the value of sustainable funding
for GIS. (Advocacy Agenda #1)

 

.        The GMI will include development of a GIS Management Body of
Knowledge (GMBOK) that will inform geospatial management curricula and lead
to future accreditation programs. (Advocacy Agenda #4)

 

So URISA has been busy supporting the GIS community across all fronts. These
activities are primarily based on the input we receive for the GIS Community
as a whole. 

 

Tripp Corbin, MCP, CFM, GISP | Chief Executive Officer
 <http://www.egisassociates.com/> eGIS Associates, Inc.

 <mailto:tcorbin at egisassociates.com> tcorbin at egisassociates.com |
www.egisassociates.com 

678-710-9710 ext 21 | 866-304-3864 Fax

Esri Certified Trainer | Esri Certified Desktop Associate

 

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