Cooperative GIS Services for Utilities

Unlike larger cities and most counties, utilities serving smaller populations rarely have the professional staff on hand to develop and support a Geographic Information System. They generally do not need and cannot afford to create even part-time GIS positions. Recognizing the need to bridge this technology gap for rural communities and small utilities, the Ohio Rural Community Assistance Program embarked on creating a cooperative GIS service after an Ohio University study concluded that it could drive down cost s through economies of scale and make GIS less complex to use. Following the recommendations of that study, Ohio RCAP has developed two distinct programs. One is to help utilities create and populate the initial GIS datasets. The second is to help communities utilize, maintain and augment their GIS data to ensure a sustainable program.