Data Coordination

MnGeo's data coordination responsibilities include identifying data priorities, coordinating state data investments, developing and promoting the use of data standards, identifying appropriate developers, aggregators and stewards for statewide data assets, and coordinating enterprise solutions for data storage, retrieval and use.

Acquisition

MnGeo works with State agencies and strategic partners, such as the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Farm Service Agency, local governments and other organizations to coordinate funding strategies to acquire essential geospatial data. Prominent among these are statewide acquisition of orthoimagery data that are so essential to modern GIS applications. MnGeo is experienced at packaging multi-organizational agreements to assemble the funding needed to acquire the data and works closely with its partners to ensure that technical experts develop product specifications.

Standards

MnGeo staff have helped coordinate and promote the development and use of standards for data documentation, development, and testing for many years. Such standards are essential to building comprehensive enterprise solutions for geospatial technology development and use.

Search

The Minnesota Geospatial Commons serves as a convenient source for geospatial data needed to power GIS. Coordinated by MnGeo, the Commons provides access to a wide variety of sources making it a first stop for geospatial data for Minnesota. Partners include Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Pollution Control Agency, Department of Transportation, the Metropolitan Council and many others.

Plans

MnGeo continues the efforts of the Land Management Information Center and the Minnesota Governor's Council on Geographic Information to work with stakeholders to develop, update, and implement plans for building comprehensive enterprise solutions to meeting our geospatial data needs. The reports described below are examples.

A Business Plan for Statewide Parcel Data Integration in Minnesota, a 2011 Federal Geographic Data Committee CAP grant to MnGeo and collaborating organizations.
Minnesota State GIS Enterprise Conceptual Architecture Design, March 2005. This document defined a high-level architecture for information technology and web-mapping interoperability in support of the goals outlined in the state’s strategic plan for GIS: the Minnesota Spatial Data Infrastructure. The structural design proposed promoted interoperability among GIS data and application providers, increasing efficiencies and reducing long-term costs in data resource and software application development. (22 p, 178K, PDF)
A Foundation for Coordinated GIS, Minnesota's Spatial Data Infrastructure: Adopted by the Minnesota Governor's Council on Geographic Information, this was a strategic plan to help Minnesota organizations more effectively achieve their business goals by using GIS, October 20, 2004. (52 p, 863K, PDF)
Guidebook to Priority GIS Data, July 1999: A report by the Governor's Council on Geographic Information that described the status and availability of 11 key digital data themes.