Garbage in equals garbage out. Other departments should be involved in planning, data entry, and implementation. Provide for annual updates, with municipal employees a consultant, to incorporate additions and changes to road and drainage systems. Use a GIS consultant for the initial setup of the GIS, and ask them questions as you proceed. Computers are becoming as common as telephones, and digitized information is used increasingly.
Prices continue to tumble, making hardware and software attainable and useful to small towns.
By keeping information accurate, current, and accessible, municipal managers can efficiently operate a system that meets current and future needs. With the arrival of the Information Age, coupled with increasing demands of services from the public, a GIS might soon be a necessity rather than a luxury. John C. Severance Manager, Public Works Information Management Cartographic Associates, Inc.