Today, development of the map and the GIS utility are under the direction of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. The base map itself will integrate with digital orthophotography, planimetrics and elevations. An agreement with Con Edison will eventually see the entire electrical infrastructure of New York City and the telecommunications infrastructure that Con Ed controls registered to the base map, along with the transportation systems, the parks and their facilities. The department is also looking at ways of getting other utilities onboard. Remaining Obstacles Leidner pointed to lack of base-map standardization as a major source of inefficiency.
Someone does a job, and a month later somebody else is in there ripping it up to put in their thing.
That happens constantly, even within the same agency or organization. One part doesn't know what the other is doing. A centralized GIS with a standardized base map and synched address database will cut out a lot of that. It will also help public safety agencies respond faster and more accurately in times of emergencies. That translates into lives saved.