The interim Wisconsin Geographic Information Coordination Council (WIGICC) is forming! Last summer at listening sessions across the state we gathered your thoughts about the proposed Council. That was followed last September by a WIGICC “summit meeting” in Stevens Point where we further refined the WIGICC concept. For more detailed information about WIGICC see the new Web site.
We are now ready to begin WIGICC operations. With the assistance of various organizations such as the WLIA, the Land Information Officer’s Network (LION), the Wisconsin Counties Association and others, an interim 15-member Council has been selected (see sidebar for a member listing). The first council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 23rd in Madison.
Five weeks following on Tuesday, October 28th in Appleton at the Paper Valley Hotel we have scheduled the kickoff of the statewide WIGICC Stakeholder Network. In addition to the Council, the stakeholder Network is one of the primary components of WIGICC, and will be a critical aspect for success. The Network is open to all individuals and organizations with an interest in supporting the mission and objectives of WIGICC. The Network will involve those beyond traditional GIS communities reaching into into business oriented areas such as emergency management, economic development and education.
The Network will identify issues and make recommendation to the Council on actions and policies relating to the use and sharing of geographic information and data. We expect that “communities of practice” will form within the Network around common business interests and within loosely defined geographic regions. To be successful, a “community of practice” brings together people with similar interests who form their own internal direction, character, and energy. We hope that WIGICC’s “communities of practice”‘ will identify and debate issues with recomendations to the Council that ultimately lead to improving the use, coordination, and success of GIS in Wisconsin.
The Network meeting on October 28th will be led by professional meeting facilitator Harry Webne-Behrman, the same person who led last year’s Listening Sessions and the Summit meeting. At this meeting we will discuss ideas on forming the Network, its relationship to the 15-member Council and others. We need your ideas on what will and will not work, and how we can engage you and others to actively participate.
So, please mark October 28th on your calendar as a day to be in Appleton with others interested in the future of GIS in Wisconsin. Additional Details regarding the meeting will be coming soon.