Regional GIS – A Partnership Reimagined
Lane County, Oregon was established in 1851 and extends from the ocean to the Cascades. Home to the University of Oregon, the county boasts a high-tech community that expects technologic excellence. For over four decades, the region has focused on optimizing resources through regional technology efforts. A focus of this regionalization has been Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The County is comprised of organizations (public and private) that aggressively use GIS and its derivative data.
A Cooperative Partnership Agreement (CPA) between the organizations was created in the 1970s, which established a regional approach to the implementation and management of various technological initiatives. That document served as the foundation of a regional GIS effort with the Lane Council of Governments serving as the coordinator and administrator. Partner agencies included the City of Eugene, City of Springfield, Lane County, Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) and Lane Council of Governments (LCOG).
As Lane County grew through the beginning of the 21st century, the original CPA outlived its usefulness. Curt Hinton, President of Geographic Technologies Group (GTG) points out, “The existing CPA had served the region well. However, the regional effort had reached a critical juncture. Each of the participating agencies had developed their own GIS. The landscape had changed. There was no mechanism for measuring the success of the program, tailoring services to an ever-changing landscape, and ensuring that the region was aware of the effort through a comprehensive education and feedback loop.” Therefore, the member agencies decided to use a consultant to analyze the current situation and create a move forward strategy culminating in a new Cooperative Partnership Agreement.
GTG, the leading GIS strategic planning company in North America, was contracted to lead this multi-year effort. The project was comprehensive and included multiple phases and reports. Reports included a Stakeholder Identification Report, Partner Interview Report, Stakeholder Findings Report, and a Needs Assessment Findings Report. All of these were used to create an Alternative CPAs Report, identifying alternative approaches to a new partnership. The project culminated in several bi-weekly meetings to develop the final agreement.
The final CPA included a model and services that meet the needs of the region today, as well as feedback mechanisms to ensure the CPA stays relevant year-to-year. Mr. Hinton states, “There was an overall concern that the regional effort was in jeopardy. It was critical to understand the regional ecosystem and create a CPA that was much more responsive to the needs of the member agencies. The result was a CPA reflective of the consensus of the stakeholders with an eye on innovative and relevant services that only a regional perspective can deliver. This was a challenging and rewarding project. It was a pleasure to work with some of the brightest minds in the Pacific Northwest. Their desire for innovation and service delivery was refreshing and inspirational. This new CPA and the efforts of the member agencies will ensure that the Lane County region will continue to serve as a bastion of GIS excellence.”
For more about GIS services and planning from GTG, contact us or call 888.757.4222.
