The GeoStrategies panel at summer MACo featured data-based approaches that allow local and state governments to set goals and plan for initiatives with faster and more targeted results. 

For the MACo Summer Conference session, “GeoStrategies: Mapping the Future of Governance with GIS and Data Insights,” local and state officials showcased how they are leveraging data-based systems to enhance the work of governments on behalf of residents. With examples from the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT), Baltimore County, and Queen Anne’s, the applications can transcend a handful of categories and programs.

State representatives discussed a centralized information system they have been cultivating to ensure quality and secure data is available for use by state, local, non-profit, and commercial entities. By making good data available, governments, businesses, organizations, and residents have more tools in the tool box to tackle whatever the future holds. This also helps eliminate duplication of effort between local and state programs, allowing locals to focus on even more targeted initiatives by layering and integrating their own information with state data to achieve specific goals.

Local representatives dove into a handful of applications for information. In Baltimore County, GIS programs helped local officials establish, track, and remediate housing blight. Queen Anne’s county shared a dashboard of key variables they consider when strategizing for short and long-term initiatives including:

• employment/labor force
• population trends
• shifting population demographics
• industry sector changes
• business trends
• infrastructure pressure and stability

With such powerful information at hand, Queen Anne’s has been able to identify need based projects in targeted geographics areas like the North County Enterprise Zone, workforce development, and feasibility studies for exploring alternative transit options across the Chesapeake Bay.