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GIS Office

GIS Board

Board Members: Dr. John Nowlin, Dr. Cody Decker, Scott Alsbrook, Darin Mitchell, Matthew Charton-Vice-Chair, Honorable Beth Rush,
Darrell Allen, Scott Lane, Terry Cleaver, PS, Jonathan Askins, Doug Melton, Scott Foster, PS, Honorable Rusty McMillon

More information about the GIS Board can be found on our Board Member page.

About the Board

The State Land Information Board was originally created in 1997 by Arkansas Code 15-21-501, and was later renamed the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Board. The thirteen members of the GIS Board represent local government, state government, higher education, and the private sector, with three members appointed from each of the four sectors, as well as the State Chief Technology Officer.

The Arkansas GIS Board oversees the work of the Arkansas GIS Office and, in conjunction with the Arkansas Land Survey Advisory Board, the Division of Land Surveys. The Board’s history traces back to 1997 when the legislature recognized the need for State agencies, cities and counties to work together to coordinate the development of a statewide system of automated geographic information. The main concern at that time was to avoid costly duplication of effort by ensuring that disparate agencies did not create the same data. Since those beginnings, the Board has overseen the development of a statewide GIS that includes a warehouse of geographic information system data coordinated across the state. Major data sets include roads, address locations, municipal boundaries, tax parcels, and statewide digital ortho-imagery.

In 2015 the legislature merged the Arkansas Land Survey Division with the GIS Office and now the two entities work together strengthening the accuracy and quality of statewide survey and map information. The Land Survey Division oversees the archive of public land survey system corners and plats. This includes contracting with Professional Surveyors around the state to restore and remonument original survey corners from the Louisiana Purchase. Board members must have specific knowledge in the surveying and mapping disciplines. The Board recommends statewide strategies for surveying and mapping activities as well as program funding for various projects to enhance the quality of the state’s data.

Legislation

Since 1993, various legislation has been enacted to promote GIS coordination in Arkansas. A lineage of legislation directly impacting GIS in the state can be found on our GIS Legislation page.

Policy & Standards

A.C.A. 15-21-504 empowers the GIS Board to “define technical specifications and standards to use in the collection, distribution, and reporting of spatial information as required by the State of Arkansas Enterprise Architecture.” You can view the Board’s listing of standards on the GIS Standards page.

Quarterly Board Minutes

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