Planning and Development Committee
JOINT FAVORABLE REPORT
Bill No.: HB-6647
Title: AN ACT CONCERNING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS.
Vote Date: 3/31/2021
Vote Action: Joint Favorable
PH Date: 3/22/2021
File No.: 551
Disclaimer: The following JOINT FAVORABLE Report is prepared for the benefit of the
members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and
explanation and does not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber
thereof for any purpose.
SPONSORS OF BILL:
Planning and Development
Reasons for Bill
This bill will (1) create a Geographic Information Systems Advisory Council to consult with the
Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, and (2) require the secretary to designate
a Geographic Information Officer (GIO) to oversee a Geographic Information System Center.
Response from Administration/Agency
Diedre S. Gifford, Acting Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health: The
current use of geographic information systems across state agencies has been accomplished
to meet the needs of each agency. However, coordinating the sharing of spatial data and
technology utilized has been fragmented. The Geographic Information Systems Advisory
Council and GIO will bring agencies together in a cohesive fashion. DPH supports this
coordinated effort as it will streamline access to geospatial data, ensure interoperable
technologies are utilized, and provide a structure for ongoing efforts.
Nature and Sources of Support
Geospatial Educators, University of Connecticut: Cary Chadwick; Emily Wilson
Patrick Ladd, GIS Specialist, City of Meriden
Finding maps and geospatial information, even if it does exist, remains a significant challenge
here in CT. We are one of only a handful of states without a state GIS center. We have
chosen not to invest properly in technology, data, or in the people that are central to
operating it effectively. It is time to fully invest in the power of geographic information to help
our GIS students, enthusiasts, professionals, and the state of Connecticut, succeed.
Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association: Re-constituting a
Geographic Information Systems Advisory Council and creating the position of GIO is an
enormously useful action, however, the GIO must be supported by at least two technicians
and one administrator to undertake the complex work of pulling together all the states GIS
resources across departments, agencies, and partners. Further, a stable funding stream must
be put in place to ensure that this Center can recruit and retain excellent talent, as well as to
plan for the regular acquisition of statewide data.
Thad Dymkowski, Vice President, Connecticut GIS Network Steering Committee;
Betsy Gara, Executive Director, Connecticut Council of Small Towns;
State departments could benefit from the strength of a GIO instead of multiple isolated
individuals in disparate divisions scattered across the organization. All municipalities across
the state would benefit from defined data standards when addressing emergencies or
disasters that fail to respect town boundaries. Smaller communities would have access to the
services, tools, and data so that they can utilize these benefits as well.
Matthew Fulda, Executive Director, Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments;
Richard K. Grady, President, Applied Geographics, Inc.;
Lyle D. Wray, Executive Director, Capitol Region Council of Governments
While we have been successful establishing a GIS program at the regional level, lack of
statewide GIS standards has limited the usage of datasets beyond our COG boundary. The
establishment of a Geographic Information Systems Office would be able to provide much
needed data standards and authoritative statewide datasets that would enable data to be
integrated across agency boundaries and provide greater return on investments.
Connecticut Conference of Municipalities: This bill represents productive dialogue of
stakeholders over the last year to create centralized GIS information in Connecticut. We must
take small but significant steps to make progress, and thus we support the bill.
Samuel S. Gold, Executive Director; Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of
Governments;
David Scherf, Manager of GIS/Technical Services, City of Torrington
A result of this incredible growth in the use of GIS as the core or centralized hub of
governmental services is the need for coordination and guidance that reduces the cost of GIS
in Connecticut by eliminating redundant efforts of data creation and maintenance among the
varying levels of government, and that provides GIS users with consistent data and
programmatic support.
Nature and Sources of Opposition
There are no sources of opposition for this bill.
Reported by: Dallas Emerle Date: 4/22/2021
Page 2 of 2 HB-6647


Statutes affected:
File No. 790: 2-79e