Municipal GIS Implementations: Top-down vs. Bottom-up

Municipal GIS Implementations: Top-down vs. Bottom-up Track: State and Local Government Author(s): Haiqing Xu There are always cases that spatial data is needed for one-time use only or by a smaller group of people. For example, spatial data collected from sample surveys often becomes outdated very soon but may be critical for a specific decision-making process. On the other hand, there are always data used by most people in a municipality, such as GIS base maps and basic assessment information, which need to be maintained centrally and updated frequently. GIS technology has enabled us to virtually slice a map into unlimited pieces, or overlay an unlimited number of maps quickly and easily. It also enables municipalities to pursue both top-down and bottom-up approaches in GIS implementation. It enables GIS users to pursue both "depth" and "width," "specifics" and "comprehensiveness," "analysis" and "display." Based on the case of Winsdor, Ontario, Canada, this paper argues that GIS implementation for sizable municipalities should pursue both the top-down and bottom-up approaches to maximize the benefit GIS brings. Haiqing Xu City of Windsor Planning Division 350 City Hall Square West Windsor , Ontario N9A 6S1 Canada Phone: (519) 255 6281 Fax: (519) 255 6680 E-mail: [email protected]