T. Hagan called for funding of the project and B. Speer seconded the motion. J. Wildgen discussed the troubled state of the U.S. Census. He indicated its importance in federal representation and federal allocations. Mr. Wildgen pointed out many defects in this system, most important being that terrestrial-mapping systems can t possibly keep up with the pace of development in some areas. This will involve GIS analysis techniques on federal census data.
Funds involve acquisition of hardware and software, data, and use of graduate assistants and staff.
T. Hagan asked about the availability of 1-meter imagery. Senator Greene commented on the importance of an accurate census count. He said improvement is necessary, especially after Louisiana lost a representative in 1990. Indirect costs would also be excluded. R. Austin expressed her concern about funding a project that will use data that may or may not be there in the specified time period.