The SCAG GIS Services Program was initiated and organized
starting in the late 1980s with the goal of being the preeminent
source of information for the southern California region. The
purpose of the program is to derive and promote a model policy
for distributing geospatial data and other information developed
and maintained at SCAG. We believe so strongly in providing this
service to stakeholders that we have incorporated this philosophy
into our Ten Year Strategic Plan.
Our services are available to government agencies and private
businesses without any fees. Our information is used by local
government, public agencies, consultants, academia, students and
the general public. Our information is designed for use in plans,
studies, analyses, and presentations. The SCAG GIS Services
Program is made up of skilled researchers, statisticians,
demographers, economists and GIS technicians with a long history
in the industry. As an agency, we strive to be a central source
for providing GIS data and information about the region.
SCAG offers specialized software training and data assistance to
its member jurisdictions through the GIS Services Program. The
GIS Services Program promotes data sharing and updating to
enhance region-wide GIS data standardization and helps SCAG
maintain effective working relationships with its member cities
and key stakeholder agencies. Services include training, data
conversion, simple application development and more. These
resources help local agencies better leverage their assets to
become more efficient, save money, and/or provide new services to
their residents and businesses. SCAG’s conservative estimate of
savings to local participating jurisdictions is $2 million.
One important element of SCAG’s GIS and Data Program is the GIS
Services Program. Started in 2010, the GIS Services Program is a
free service to SCAG member agencies. Currently, 79 local
jurisdictions and two partner agencies (Coachella Valley
Association of Governments (CVAG), Imperial County Transportation
Commission (ICTC), and the Southern California Regional Rail
Authority (SCRRA) are participants. Through the Program, SCAG’s
GIS staff assists member agencies with professional services and
free trainings and software. For some agencies the newly acquired
tools have been used to deliver additional services to residents
and developers, which has led to a new source of local revenue.
The Program has also given SCAG staff the opportunity to meet,
discuss and customize GIS services for the 81 participants.
Customized services include creating desktop/web applications
with local jurisdiction data, converting non-spatial data into
GIS format, day-to-day GIS problem-solving and GIS training at 17
venues across the region including the cities of Brawley,
Lancaster, Los Angeles, Palm Desert, Santa Ana and Ventura.
SCAG is also in the process of implementing an Enterprise GIS
that at its core is focused on developing and disseminating
information to interested parties. We are completing our digital
geographic databases and are focused on data distribution and
standardization and that the data be used as widely as possible.
We look to the web as the engine for distributing our data and
information in a cost effective and sustainable way.
Our program goals are:
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Users of geographic information and data will gain better
access to needed data.
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Local governments and public agencies will partner with SCAG
on data standardization.
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Local governments will find more, and diversified, users for
their data.
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Local governments and SCAG will realize cost savings through
data sharing and through the establishment of consortiums
when feasible.
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Data maintenance, update, and metadata documentation will
become accepted as part of the normal data distribution
business process.
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The maintenance of this program is spearheaded through the
Research and Analysis department under the Land Use and
Environmental Planning division at SCAG.
GIS Links
ESRI is the world’s
leading provider of geographic information systems (GIS). Their
main site allows users to become acquainted with the benefits and
capabilities of GIS.
ESRI Software
Training is available for all levels of GIS (introductory,
intermediate, advanced), oftentimes at no price.
ESRI’s ArcGIS
Online allows users to build and deploy simple web based
mapping applications at no cost.
URISA is an association for
GIS professionals, and offers training and certification
opportunities.
