Cooperation and Patience: The Key To A High Quality, Sustainable GIS

Abstract

Geographical Information Systems (GIS) provide a powerful tool to transportation planners and engineers for a variety of analytical tasks. However, even with the advent of PC-based GIS systems and strong state and federal support, transportation planners and engineers in small and medium-sized communities face many constraints in finding the resources to pay for a GIS and in the development of a data base that can be used for practical applications. The Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) has been a leader in the design, implementation and management of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for almost three decades. The root of this successful implementation of GIS lies in the formation of multi-jurisdictional (cities, county, utilities, MPO), multi-application (transportation, natural resources, public works, assessment and taxation, land use planning) approach (termed the Common Mapping Project) and development of a Cooperative Project Agreement which has provided for sustained development of a parcel-level data base. This approach has allowed LCOG's transportation planners to have access to a very rich database. For example, the GIS provides land use and demographic inputs to the system model and overlay analyses incorporating the transportation system (both supply and demand characteristics), natural resources (soils, topography, hydrology, etc.) and other public works features (sanitary, storm sewers, utility lines, etc.). In addition, this approach has allowed LCOG to focus its transportation planning resources on the transportation system as other agencies have provided the resources for development and maintenance of other parts of the database. The 30-year history provides evidence of success of the approach. Without this cooperative, long-term approach, it is doubtful the GIS would be available to transportation planners in the Eugene-Springfield area. Certainly, we would not have the rich database that has resulted from this integrated approach. This paper/presentation will describe the approach taken by agencies in the Eugene-Springfield area in the development of its GIS, the benefits of this approach to transportation planning in a medium-sized area, and the key lessons learned over the years.