April 22, 2002

JACKSONVILLE -- Governor Don Siegelman has appointed Pete Conroy as chairman of the newly established Alabama Geographic Information Council. Conroy, who also serves as chairman of the Alabama Commission on Environmental Initiatives, is director of Jacksonville State University’s Environmental Policy and Information Center (EPIC) and Field Schools. His prior experiences include other appointments and assignments from Governors Siegelman, James, Folsom and Hunt, as well as from President Clinton who appointed Conroy to serve as Alternate U.S. Federal Commissioner of the Tri-State (ACT/ACF) Water Compacts.

“The establishment of this Council will be a building block for smarter growth, and at the same time it will serve as an incredible tool for the mapping of just about everything. GIS technology has exploded, and through proper planning, business and the environment will benefit,” said Conroy.

The Alabama Geographic Information Council (AGIC) was established in March 2002 through Executive Order number 68. The main purpose of AGIC is to coordinate GIS related investments, practices, and policies in order to minimize a duplication of effort and public expenditures. Coordination of this technology will benefit a variety of organizations on local, state, and federal levels by helping to establish a base map for the state that includes commonly needed geographic information on roads, streams, elevation, political boundaries, parcel ownership, and more.

“Business and environmental groups have demonstrated great leadership through their common vision and philosophy for smart growth. Now, with the creation of the GIS Council, they will have the ability to share geographic data and technology as well,” Siegelman said.

The Council is expected to assess the need and potential use of GIS technology and present its report to the Governor in September of this year. The first meeting has been set for May 1st in Montgomery.

August 14, 2002

Tuscaloosa -- Gov. Don Siegelman today via teleconference welcomed officials from federal, state and local government agencies, business and education to the Governor's Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Symposium.  The three-day symposium will focus on the growing importance of GIS technology in the daily functioning of government, business and education.

"GIS technology provides a new 21st Century tool that, if used properly, will significantly increase efficiency in the management of resources and policy throughout the state," said Siegelman via teleconference.  "The discussions and ideas generated during this symposium, combined with the work of the Alabama Geographic Information Council, will allow us to build the best plan for using GIS technology."

During the past decade, governmental agencies, private industry and educational institutions in Alabama and nationwide have developed GIS technology, which consists of increasingly powerful computer systems designed to process and analyze map and other spatial information.  GIS technology has the potential to facilitate better coordination and relations among federal, state, local government and private sector agencies in decision-making and implementation.

This technology is rapidly taking the place of outdated topographical maps of municipalities, counties and states produced by the United States Geological Survey.  The Geological Survey of Alabama estimates that geographic location is a key feature in more than 80 percent of all government data and information and, if implemented properly, GIS technology can increase efficiency and reduce costs in government management and resource activities.

GIS technology will help state government better manage water, air, agricultural, energy, cultural, land and mineral resources.  More specifically, GIS technology is an essential tool for the effective and efficient functioning of environmental management, forestry, wildlife, geology, health, public health and safety, homeland security, emergency management, social services, transportation, utilities and waste management.

To ensure that Alabama has a coordinated plan to best utilize GIS technology, Siegelman created the Alabama Geographic Information Council (AGIC) through Executive Order Number 68 in March. The AGIC will collect from multiple sources the vast geographic data that exists about Alabama and will share this data with government, business, education and other interested groups.  In September, the AGIC will report to Siegelman its recommendations designed to guide the development and implementation of GIS technology in Alabama.