The concept of a national GIS, just like of a national NSDI, is not new. Its foundations have been laid down at the U.S. Geological Survey, Census Bureau, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security, among others, with such projects as the Imagery for the Nation, The National Map, and the NSDI.
“A national GIS, properly designed and effectively implemented, providing public access and using best technologies, will speed economic recovery by producing jobs and putting shovels in the ground more quickly,” maintain the authors of “A Proposal for National Economic Recovery: An Investment in Geospatial Information Infrastructure—Building a National GIS.”
Why a national GIS? ESRI’s Jack Dangermond and Booz Allen Hamilton’s Anne Hale Miglarese, describe GIS as an integrator of data from agencies across all level of government into a powerful tool that “marshals knowledge on items as diverse as personnel, finance, economics, infrastructure, and resources, all organized within maps or images showing geographic basics such as topography, roads, parcels, buildings, utility networks, landmarks, soil types, and political and physical land divisions. “
According to Dangermond and Miglarese, a national GIS brings together all key national datasets to support action, such as emergency response, and other forms of decision making. They believe that the comprehensive and standardized description, via GIS, of our Nation’s assets, resources, and operations, all linked geographically, is a crucial tool for government and business alike. More about this proposal at http://www.gis.com/gisnation/.