I received an interesting tip-off this morning about a proposal that has been published online - the document was authored by Jack Dangermond (ESRI), Anne Hale Miglarese (Booz Allen Hamilton) The topic - A proposal for a National GIS!

Highlights of the Proposal...  

The Stimulus Plan being developed by Congress and the incoming Obama Administration is an enormous undertaking to revive the American economy. Potentially, it will involve thousands of infrastructure and other projects intended to create jobs and restart economic growth while producing things of lasting value to American taxpayers. The challenge to properly manage and execute this effort will be daunting, requiring unprecedented access to data and information at all levels of government and the private sector.

This is the moment for America to build a national Geographic Information System (GIS), that is, a unified, up-to-date, publicly-accessible national digital map, enriched with data from all available sources, and supported by GIS technology. This system can be built quickly, immediately creating high tech jobs, and will serve as a public resource for project planners to support transportation infrastructure, water resource management, alternative energy research, and project siting. It will also provide a foundation for monitoring the US economic recovery across our communities, allowing activities to get underway as soon as possible and leaving a legacy for the future.

A National GIS, properly designed and effectively implemented, providing public access and using best technologies, will speed economic recovery by producing jobs and putting shovels in the ground more quickly.

So, a National GIS... doable??

See the proposal HERE