Honolulu, Hawaii is the 10^th largest city in the U.S. It's population is 953,000 and the metropolitan area covers the entire island of Oahu. There are more than 85,000 tourists on any given day making the city swell to over 1 million people every day. In an area constrained by mountains and sea traffic congestion is the worst in the U.S, even beating out Los Angeles says Mayor Peter Carlisle while speaking at the Esri UC.

Honolulu is at a crossroads in terms of traffic. "It’s abysmal," says Carlisle. "Our infrastructure is dependent on a public alternative."  That alternative is a new light rail system which the city is ready to ready to undertake at a cost of $5.5 Billion. But from nearly the start of the project, geospatial information will be used at every stage to monitor progress.

Honolulu was an early adopter of GIS and Carlisle admits that the city couldn’t do its job without it. GIS is used for permit tracking which leads to a more effective process that supports economic development and helps maintain a healthy economy. GIS is also used to support the policy making level and even employs "Geo Accounting." Carlisle said his has identified $3.3 Million in additional tax revenues because of a better reporting system that tracks the percentage of completed construction projects, which is then reported to the tax assessors. and allows city to send assessors. The process has allowed the city to capture values that they had let slide by in the past.
 
Carlisle is an enthusiastic proponent of GIS and it's his leadership that is driving adoption in all city departments. He admits to not being the most savvy about GIS but he realizes the incredible value it brings to his city. "I’m committed to having subject matter experts; hire the very best and get out of the way. I am very hostile to micromanager and the control freak. Our job is to inspire, encourage and lead," said Carlisle.