State Feedback: What I Need Most from NSGIC ...By Bert Granberg | Jan. 20, 2017
I can’t remember the specifics of what spawned this, but it was time well spent. Here (below) is what we heard. (Thanks to Molly Schar for summarizing the results!) … help me tap into the collective wisdom of NSGIC members Use working meetings to convene discussions on priority areas. Make them mentoring opportunities to learn, work together and create products/services. Develop and publish best practices, guidance, recommendations, briefs and white papers. Take networking to the next level by connecting members with similar roles. Involve subject matter experts and other new people to expand membership. Publish relevant news and information about what is happening in GIS. … help me be more effective in my job Provide opportunities to think about the bigger picture, analyze geospatial maturity progress and plan strategically for the future. Facilitate mentoring for states that need assistance. Establish relationships between states with common needs and goals. Develop best practices for GIS Councils and GIOs. … be the network mesh to enable local, state and federal collaboration on geospatial initiatives Educate state leadership, locals and private sector about the importance of GIS and statewide collaboration. Establish return on investment for collection of statewide data. Engage local governments and make room for them at the NSGIC table. Proactively lead programs “for the nation” like what was done for broadband. Establish minimum content standards for framework data. … represent states with one voice at the federal level Advocate for legislation beneficial to states and a national spatial data infrastructure with a central role for states Connect states with federal agencies. Leverage resources like seed money from federal agencies. Leverage activities like the 2020 census and NG9-1-1. The NSGIC board will be retreating in advance of next month’s Midyear Meeting to develop strategic priorities for 2017 and 2018. We will explore these four areas of coordination and communications as we look to meet the needs of our members, exceed member expectations, and continue to craft the organization that will make NSGIC continue to grow and excel. |
At a State Caucus session during NSGIC’s Annual Conference in Indianapolis last October, we conducted a completely impromptu exercise that produced some interesting, important information. The game was pretty simple. Take one of the ubiquitous hotel notepads and fill in the blank: “What I need most from NSGIC is _______.”