When the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources sought a more methodical and transparent decision-making process to prioritize geologic mapping activities, it turned to multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The approach provides methodology and techniques for weighting and scoring multiple criteria to reach a conclusion in complex decision problems.

Financing SDIs: Lessons Learned from the PAMAP Experience The Pennsylvania Map, a designated pilot of the United States' National Map, provides an example to others exploring funding for spatial data infrastructures. Feb 2, 2007 By: Theodore R. Alter, Todd S. Bacastow, Tina Cary

The Pennsylvania Map, a designated pilot of the United States' National Map, provides an example to others exploring funding for spatial data infrastructures.

Enhancing the Value of India's Demographic Data A recent study that combines satellite imagery with federal census and demographic data in India has produced unexpected results sure to please government and business analysts alike. Sep 1, 2006

The question posed by a commercial provider of integrated geospatial solutions for business applications was this: Will the calculated combination of georeferenced census datasets with satellite-gathered raster data increase the decision-making value of the census data? The answer was a resounding "yes," facilitating the generation of micro-level information from macro-level population data.

Determining Orthographic Accuracy Minnesota researchers compare Farm Service Agency (FSA) digital orthophotos with those from the U.S. Geological Survey to evaluate the planimetric accuracy of the FSA data and determine whether topographic variation impacts accuracy. Mar 1, 2006 By: Tonya Rogers, Martin Mitchell, Changjoo Kim, Tim Loesch

In 2002, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) partnered with Minnesota state agencies to develop an updated set of statewide digital orthophoto quadrangles (DOQs). Private companies and government agencies throughout the state had been using U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) DOQs from the early 1990s to create land-cover inventories, and demand for a more current dataset was high.

Private Sector Makes Census Bureau's TIGER Roar May 1, 2005 By: Shawana P. Johnson, J. Edward Kunz

An effort to update and improve the spatial accuracy of the U.S. Census Bureau's TIGER files with help from the private sector is making this resource an even more powerful force with which to be reckoned.

To resolve issues related to landbase inconsistencies, a consortium of stakeholders in the Tallahassee/Leon County GIS turned to LIDAR to update their topographic database, validating results and accuracies via GPS and conventional surveying.