"Enterprise GIS" Drive to Excellence Initiative

Team of GIS professionals sits around a conference tableUntil 2009, there had been no state agency assigned the responsibility for coordinating GIS across state government. This project focused on implementing an enterprise GIS organizational and governance framework. Anticipated benefits included improved state GIS coordination and accountability, opportunities for consolidated data, software and equipment investments, standardization and more.

Drive to Excellence was a state-government reform initiative that focused on serving citizens better. The Drive to Excellence Sub-Cabinet provided leadership and guidance to all projects; the Enterprise GIS project steering committee and working groups included members of the Governor's Council on Geographic Information Strategic Planning Committee.  


The Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo) was created May 18, 2009. See an extract from the legislation, which included MnGeo language in several places. The transition from the Land Management Information Center to MnGeo took place over several months.

David Arbeit was named Minnesota's first Chief Geospatial Information Officer on June 24, 2009 at a "Point of Beginning" public meeting to introduce MnGeo.

Final reports:


Detailed Reports

  • Overviews
    • Handout describing the proposed Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (2 p., 181K, PDF)
    • Project charter, January 8, 2008 A concise overview of the project's context; potential benefits; deliverables; steering team organization and roles and responsibilities.
  • Comprehensive analysis process (functional analysis) Applied Geographics, a firm that has successfully worked on similar projects across the nation, will work with us to identify State agencies' GIS needs and capabilities and to recommend strategies for improved efficiencies, effectiveness, responsiveness and reliability.  
  • Background information
    • Compass Points Retreat, June 25, 2007. The facilitator's report from the Governor's Council strategic plan retreat. (33 p., 309K, PDF)  
    • A Foundation for Coordinated GIS, Minnesota's Spatial Data Infrastructure, October 2004. A strategic plan for statewide GIS to help Minnesota organizations more effectively achieve their business goals. (52 p., 863K., PDF)  
    • Minnesota State GIS Enterprise Conceptual Architecture Design, March 2005. This document defines a high-level architecture for information technology and web-mapping interoperability in support of the goals outlined in the state’s strategic plan for GIS: the Minnesota Spatial Data Infrastructure. The structural design proposed would promote interoperability among GIS data and application providers, increasing efficiencies and reducing long-term costs in data resource and software application development. (22 p., 178K., PDF)
    • The Future of GIS: Minnesota GIS 2006, 2007 and Beyond, slides from the committee-sponsored panel discussion at the Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium conference, October 6, 2006.
  • Project contact