Onsrud, H.J., J.P. Johnson and J. Winnecki, GIS Dissemination Policy: Two Surveys and a Suggested Approach, Journal of Urban and Regional Information Systems, 1996, 8(2): 8-23
GIS Dissemination Policy: Two Surveys and a Suggested Approach
Harlan J. Onsrud, Jeffrey Johnson, Judy Winnecki
Department of Spatial Information Science and Engineering &
National Center for Geographic Information & Analysis
ABSTRACT
Selection of appropriate policies for dissemination of GIS data, products, and services continues to be an important issue for many local government agencies. GIS agencies are currently making dissemination policy decisions with little data or information on the economic, legal and political ramifications of choosing one policy or practice over another. While some progress has been made in exploring the practical benefits and drawbacks of different policy alternatives, there is still little information available about the current state of dissemination policy among local government GIS agencies. This article presents empirical evidence of the current state of dissemination policy in US local government agencies, analyzes potential implications of the information compiled from the completed surveys, and suggests an approach for GIS dissemination policy in US local governments that accommodates both open access and revenue-generation objectives.