Office of the State Geographic Information Officer

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A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.

GIS allows users to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts. We use GIS to evaluate trends, collaborate between disciplines, understand the landscape and make better more informed decisions about complex scenario's and policy.

Creating the California Spatial Data Infrastructure

It is the goal of the California Geographic Information Officer (GIO) to have a mature GIS including statewide seamless digital data, strong networks of people who can provide services, and rich technology which provides GIS capability.

This infrastructure will reduce duplication of effort among agencies, improve quality and reduce costs related to geographic information. We will make geographic data more accessible to the public by establishing key partnerships with federal state and regional agencies, counties, cities, tribal nations, academia and the private sector. California's Spatial Data Infrastructure can best be described in three areas; People, Data & technology.

• People
  The organizations, governance, specialists and community who support and deliver GIS services.
• Data
  The GIS data which is developed and used by the people.
• Technology
  Those services employed and distributed for GIS use.