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A Publication Featuring The Information Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume V, Issue 8 | August 2002 |
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Inspired by the successful multi-agency Beginning with Habitat project, the State Planning Office’s (SPO) Maine Coastal Program, is working with the Maine Office of Geographic Information Systems (MEGIS) to make relevant state agency data available for local comprehensive planning. The data, available as composite layers (ESRI shape files), will be delivered via CD-ROM to municipal and regional planners. It will enable geographic relationships among natural features, infrastructure and census data to be easily displayed and understood in a streamlined, cost-effective manner.
This effort was endorsed by the Maine GIS Executive Council at its meeting on May 30, 2002, and will serve as the lead pilot program of intergovernmental cooperation as the Maine Library of Geographic Information (GeoLibrary) is formulated in the coming months. MEGIS and SPO staff will follow up with technical and program staff from other state agencies to ensure the data is available and compatible.
MEGIS will design an automated program to create shape files from statewide data sets at appropriate geographic boundaries for local or regional planning efforts. A copy of ArcView Explorer will be included on the CD, enabling municipal planners to load the files, view and plot map output without additional GIS software installed. The first set of 23 CDs is expected to be delivered by September 1. It is envisioned that local geographic data produced during the plan development will be incorporated into this data set and turned into the new intergovernmental GeoLibrary for availability to all levels of government and the public.
For more information, contact: Larry Harwood (larry.harwood@state.me.us) or Dan Walters (at 624-9435 or dan.walters@state.me.us) at MEGIS, or Liz Hertz (at 287-8935 or Elizabeth.hertz@state.me.us) at SPO.
