The public, of course, always has the right to access information, but to do so must go to the local government office, find reference numbers, dig through thick books, fumble with outdated maps and spend a small fortune at the copy machine. However, a handful of progressive municipalities now offer free parcel information access via the Internet. Avid users of the information, including realtors, attorneys and surveyors, are singing the praises of online systems. Municipal GIS is a hot topic, and it's never been easier to point, click and have a multitude of information available. Possible GIS applications include explaining zoning issues during public meetings, or determining school bus routing and utility locations.
Citizens also benefit.
For example, a GIS can show parents where a school bus stops, or allow users to access land values and deed information from the privacy of their own home or office. Common Issues Project cost often is one of the first issues to surface. It's easy to measure a GIS implementation's cost, but difficult to measure its benefits, including the services a GIS provides to citizens. Surfing the World Wide Web shows just how many municipal sites sell digital data. A large west coast city, for example, sells its land base GIS data on the Web.