GIS Strategic Plan

Client: Montana Department of Transportation

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GeoDecisions worked with MDT to develop a GIS strategic plan. The purpose of the MDT’s strategic planning process was to evaluate MDT’s current GIS and related IT initiatives to better align them with the core business processes within the agency. Learning more about GIS and other DOT spatial data implementations were paramount in the development of the priority actions and applications that were identified in the plan.

To facilitate the education process, GeoDecisions held a GIS and visioning workshop and arranged interviews with other DOTs to provide MDT with information on similar GIS-related data systems and initiatives. Additionally, MDT wanted to address any federal mandates and funding opportunities in the plan, so a special education session was dedicated to understanding federal requirements.

MDT and GeoDecisions identified several key items that needed to be addressed for better deployment of spatial technologies in MDT. These items can be generalized as: improved data accuracy and quality, secure access and availability of data, improved standards for data collection and integration, and additional spatial training and technical support staff. To address these key items, GeoDecisions developed a detailed list of Practical Keys to GIS Success, in addition to the priority actions and applications. These Practical Keys related to many areas, including organizational structure, data architectures, GIS best practices, and linear and location referencing solutions.

MDT’s strategic plan provides a guide for planning, developing, deploying, and maintaining new and existing GIS and data systems. The plan outlines how GIS can be better integrated into existing inventory and management systems to support new initiatives, promote enterprise data management, and make information more accessible. Most importantly, the strategic plan provides a timeline and estimated budget as a master plan for GIS implementation during a five-year period.

GeoDecisions created a blueprint for expanding GIS throughout MDT to help the organization support its vision and mission.