Municipal GIS in Northern Ontario status and strategies

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an important tool for economic developers to capture, manipulate and interpret local data from a myriad of sources including municipal infrastructure data, land assets, local zoning by-laws, building codes, local maps and aerial photographs. This paper provides a description of GIS technologies and applications; reviews the status of municipal GIS across Northern Ontario and; presents key success elements that should be considered by municipal governments and their staff when developing GIS strategies and networks. The elements will increase the likelihood of a successful deployment and the long-term viability of the GIS solution.Keywords: Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Northern Ontario, municipal governments