November 14, 2002; McLeod County
11/14/2002 10:14:43 AM
This is an opinion of the Commissioner of Administration issued pursuant to section 13.072 of Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13 - the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. It is based on the facts and information available to the Commissioner as described below.
Facts and Procedural History:On November 4, 2002, IPAD received a letter dated same from Christian Christensen, the McLeod County GIS Director. In his letter, Mr. Christensen asked the Commissioner to issue an advisory opinion regarding the classification of certain data the County maintains. A summary of the facts is as follows. Mr. Christensen wrote: McLeod County is assembling a digital catalog of photos of the homes in McLeod County. The photos have been taken from the public roadway as to not create a physical trespass issue. I am requesting an advisory opinion regarding the release of these photos to offices of McLeod County, the general public, and possibly making them accessible through the internet. Issue:In his request for an opinion, Mr. Christensen asked the Commissioner to address the following issue:
Discussion:Pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 13.03, subdivision 1, all government data are public unless otherwise classified by state or federal law. In the case at hand as Mr. Christensen presented it, the Commissioner is not aware of any provision in Chapter 13 or another statute classifying the data in question. Therefore, the photographs are public. Opinion:Based on the facts and information provided, my opinion on the issue that Mr. Christensen raised is as follows:
Signed:
David F. Fisher
Dated: November 14, 2002 |
Government Data
Photographs
