A Community-Based Information Technology Services Determination of GIS User Information Needs

As remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) technologies become more commonplace in society, there are increasing calls for the use of such technologies to benefit local communities. However, a gap continues to exist between the priorities of GIS research specialists, commercial technology providers, and the public (including civic and county agencies and others implementing local public policies). This paper describes origins and processes for a method of technology planning for community-based information technology services (CoBITS). The CoBITS effort emphasizes the development and evaluation of information technology design priorities to serve members of a local physical community. In the United States, the public library/public broadcasting model of shared resources serves as a basis for CoBITS technology planning. Drawing on the author’s prior work in this area, this paper summarizes how the CoBITS process can be applied to prioritizing community-based geospatial information technology needs. The specific user needs identified in this paper can be seen as dynamic due to the local community priorities (and experiences). However, the methodology presented here can be applied broadly to link research and public policy priorities for GIS and remote sensing applications.