ABSTRACT

Computerized information systems have been adopted since the 1950s as a way to improve government performance in serving and protecting the public interest by increasing government’s effi ciency, effectiveness, and accountability. In the late 1980s, the availability of user-friendly and affordable geospatial technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and remote sensing (RS), has prompted their intensifi ed adoption by local governments (Masser and Onsrud, 1993). Geospatial information technologies have been

35.1 Diffusion of Spatial Technologies in Local Governments .......................... 689 35.2 Examples of Local Government Applications ............................................690 35.3 Building a Local Database ..........................................................................700 35.4 Managing Local Government Geographic Information Resources ............ 705 35.5 Toward E-Governance ................................................................................. 708 35.6 Conclusion ..................................................................................................709 References .............................................................................................................. 710

met with great enthusiasm, given their suitability to handle local government data, over 70% of which can be referenced by location (O’Looney, 2000).