Georgia Association of Regional Development Centers (GARDC)

The RDC GIS Committee

The RDC GIS Committee was assembled by RDC Executive Directors in early 2005, and is made up of five GIS/IT professionals from RDCs around the state. Appointments to this staff committee were made by the Chairman of the Executive Directors GIS/IT committee. Appointees to this committee serve indefinitely, but change as the needs of RDC’s and Committee responsibilities evolve. This is done at the discretion of the Committee itself, and Executive Directors.

Committee Members

Blake Sartin, Northeast GA RDC
Brent Lanford, Middle Georgia RDC
Chris Strom, South Georgia RDC
Faith Jones, Georgia Mountains RDC
Robert Hiett, McIntosh Trail RDC

Mission

Aggressively promote the advancement of GIS technology within RDC’s and the utilization of RDC-GIS resources as a tool for accomplishing both statewide and local projects.

2005 Goals

Goals for 2005 target two improvements – Professional Development/Capacity Building and Outreach to State and Local Agencies. Following are the objectives to achieve these goals.

Professional Development / Capacity Building
The general consensus amongst RDC’s is that collectively, we have no identified minimum or maximum level of service that can be brought to the table with regard to statewide projects. Additionally, we may not be perceived by state agencies as being the most equipped or capable to deliver consistent services across the state. The activities in this category of professional development are geared towards identifying that service level and improving our individual and collective capacities.

Mandatory participation in quarterly meetings of RDC-GIS staff (At least one GIS representative at 3 out of four meetings per year). At this point, committee staff is determining dates, selecting speakers/instructors and making arrangement for:
- ESRI certified training in the use of ArcGIS9.0
- Trimble certified training in the use of GPS hardware/software
- Annual RDC association meeting activities to include:
  - project sharing – each RDC presents a unique successful project they have completed,
  - an ESRI “doctor’s office” – RDC-GIS staff can speak with and demonstrate software issues to an ESRI representative,
  - an Executive Directors FYI- details and handouts about what traits to look for when hiring and managing IT/GIS personnel.
- Open forum meeting for GIS staff and updates/requests of GIS committee. This may also be an opportunity to explore how staff can achieve GIS certification.
Creation of a GIS/IT resource WWW page. This page will be integrated into the existing RDC association website and serve as a query-enabled resource in which visitors(intra/extra-RDC association members) can search by keyword for project experiences, list contact info, and retrieve posted templates and information regarding grants, projects, development of GIS data and software news. This can begin with information gathered with Coastal GA RDC’s recent request for project experiences of each RDC.
Explore the possibility of transparent service delivery to peer RDC’s. Each RDC has unique experiences & tools, but we are each crucial to the success of all. The concept is: If we are willing to both solicit help and/or serve as sub-contractors to our peer RDC’s we can help to accomplish the mission of more consistent GIS services across the state. This with other efforts can change the perception that currently hinders us in capturing projects. This committee will
- conduct a detailed survey of project experiences, and software/hardware possessions that may be unique to each site and valuable for success to others.
- facilitate a meeting of RDC Executive Directors and GIS staff to discuss how we can serve as service providers to our peers while remaining transparent to the local governments receiving the services.

Outreach to State and Local Agencies/Governments
Across the state, there are associations representing decision-makers that provide nearly every type of service to the citizens of Georgia. From statewide emergency response planning to local government finance officers, these people meet and discuss the issues facing them. Where there are needs, there are opportunities for RDC’s. There are also opportunities to gain insight about GIS developments underway with other agencies.

At the state level, there has not been a consistent presence of RDC-GIS staff at any of these gatherings. Similarly, at the local government level, RDC’s may have been represented but our GIS capabilities and offerings specifically have not been. The activities described below target these issues and will help to establish our “seat at the table” when decisions are being made about future efforts and who performs the GIS components.

Attendance and participation in the Georgia GISCC. This will require two GIS committee members to attend each GISCC open meeting. Furthermore, we will request of the GISCC chairperson, that an Association of RDC’s-GIS staff person be added as an official GISCC committee member at the next available opportunity.
Participation in Professional/Government Association Conferences. This year, the GIS committee has targeted
Georgia URISA conference
Georgia Municipal Association conference
ACCG 2006 conference.
At a minimum, RDC-GIS committee or staff members will be present and actively hosting a vendor’s booth. We will strive however to deliver presentations regarding the use of GIS as a valuable tool for issues relevant to the audience.

Links and Downloads

GARDC 2005 GIS Conference Agenda
GDOT Centerline Reporting Form

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