Nominating a GIS Project for a Governor's Certificate

The Minnesota Geospatial Advisory Council is continuing a program that the Minnesota Governor's Council on Geographic Information established in 1996 to recognize significant, exemplary geospatial activities. A Governor's Certificate is given to a project that meets rigorous criteria. Nominations are solicited through Geospatial Advisory Council (GAC) Members, the MnGeo Newsletter, the Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium newsletter and by word of mouth. Awards are presented at the Consortium's annual fall conference.

For a project to receive a certificate, it must demonstrate a commitment to promoting efficient and effective use of the technology, have significant positive impact on the citizens of Minnesota, and demonstrate a willingness to collaborate in partnerships that provide benefit beyond the originating organization. Projects that provide public access to geospatial technology and products also receive very high marks.

The deadline to submit the final nomination packet is June 30 - see below for additional nomination deliverable deadlines.

Award Criteria

The award criteria require that projects must have:

Yielded tangible benefits and exceptional results
Had a significant impact outside the home organization, and
Demonstrated at least one of the following goals:

Efficient investments in geospatial information, such as those that serve multiple purposes or users or have exceptional cost-benefit ratios
Exemplary use of geospatial technology that effects positive change and/or improves the quality of life in Minnesota
Sharing of geospatial data, expertise and technology
Development of geospatial data as a public resource, widely available at reasonable cost
Establishment and promotion of geospatial data standards and guidelines
Delivery of quality education and training programs
Use of GIS as an instrument for policy and decision-making
Fruitful discussion of issues important to Minnesota's geospatial information users

Key Dates for 2024

June 1 - Submit a draft of your submission packet to the Awards Committee at gisinfo.mngeo@state.mn.us
June 7 - Awards Committee provides feedback to all groups submitting nominations
June 30 - Final nomination packet is due to MnGeo (see instructions below)
September - Groups submitting nominations are informed of their nomination's status
October - presentation of Governor's Certificate at MN GIS/LIS Conference

Nomination Instructions

Individuals or organizations may nominate their own or any other project. Nominations should include the following information:

The project name
A project description, including its purpose, when it began and when it was completed, if appropriate
Specify the goal(s) served by this project and support with examples
The project's impact on citizens or organizations outside the home organization, both quantitatively (e.g., the number of agencies using the product or dollar savings to taxpayers) and qualitatively (e.g., testimonials from outside organizations)
Letters of support and recommendation from stakeholders
The name of the organization(s) or individual(s) that should receive the award. For the organization, include the name of a representative.
The format of the nomination packet is up to the group putting it together. While packets have traditionally been submitted in a PDF format, alternative formats (e.g., StoryMaps) are accepted. Whatever format is chosen, make sure to include all of the required materials stated above.

For examples of successful nominations, see the awards pages for 2022, 2018, 2015, 2014 and 2013. These examples are provided as samples only. All complete nominations will be considered.

Nominations and questions should be sent to the council by email: gisinfo.mngeo@state.mn.us