Company: California GIS Task Force
Location: Sacramento, CA, United States of America

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"During last year's firestorms, GIS helped firefighters to see through the smoke, giving them a powerful tool to fight the blaze. This is just one example of a technology that we must tap further into and coordinate throughout the federal, state and local governments," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "California has a proud tradition of being an innovator and leading the development of technologies. We must keep pushing forward to build new applications that will better serve the people of California."

GIS allows users to navigate mapping resources, layered with data in an environment where they can visualize scenarios in unlimited new ways.

"The Governor recognizes the value of GIS to better serve our people and give policy makers and the public enhanced decision-making tools," said Teri Takai, State Chief Information Officer. "I look forward to working with the task force and my colleagues throughout the state to streamline the deployment of GIS applications to maximize the use of this technology."

Led by State Chief Information Officer Teri Takai and Chief Deputy Christy Quinlan, the task force will present the Governor with a strategic plan for statewide coordination within 90 days.

The GIS Task Force includes:

Co-Chairs:
Cynthia Bryant, Director
Governor's Office of Planning and Research

Christy Quinlan, Chief Deputy Director
Office of the Chief Information Officer


Members:

Coco Briseno, Chief, Division of Transportation System Information
California Department of Transportation

Michael Byrne, GIS Architect
Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development

Frank Calvillo, Chief of Staff
Governor's Office of Homeland Security

Kris Caceres, Senior Information Systems Analyst
Governor's Office of Emergency Services

Debbie Endsley, Chief Deputy Director
Department of Personnel Administration

John Ellison, Agency Technology Officer
California Resources Agency

Johanna Fenton
Governor's Office of Emergency Services

Cynthia Garcia, Air Pollution Specialist
Air Resources Board

Mark Greninger, Geographic Information Officer
County of Los Angeles

Kris Higgs, GIS Specialist
Governor's Office of Emergency Services

Mary Cook Hurley, Chair 2008-2009
California Geographic Information Association

Randell H. Iwasaki, Chief Deputy Director
California Department of Transportation

Julia Lave Johnston, Senior Planner
Governor's Office of Planning and Research

Michael Liang, Deputy Secretary for Information Technology
Business, Transportation and Housing Agency

Bill Naddy
California Department of Transportation

Terrence Newsome, Research Specialist
Governor's Office of Homeland Security

Warren Roberts
California Community Colleges

Donald R Turos, Jr, Colonel
United States Army

Mark Weatherford, Director
Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection

Gary Winuk, Chief Deputy Director
Governor's Office of Homeland Security

Kevin Yarris, Chief Information Officer
County of Yolo

Robert Yoha, GIS Coordinator
California Department of Food and Agriculture

In June, more than 250 state officials participated in a forum focused on leveraging GIS to improve government services and better protect Californians. Held in Sacramento, the forum included more than 20 exhibits of GIS applications, including systems that:

• Enhance preparedness, response and recovery from all forms of disasters and improve public safety and homeland security services by helping government agencies safeguard citizens, borders, and critical infrastructure.
• Enable effective policy decisions that help local government and citizens understand how to plan land use, the construction of critical infrastructure to accommodate growing populations while balancing quality of life, economic opportunities, preserving natural resources, avoiding disproportionate impacts to disadvantaged communities (e.g., environmental justice) and minimizing our carbon foot print.
• Promote Californians' health by helping to quickly locate and deliver health care services, identifying gaps in service, facilitating response to disease outbreaks and food borne contamination, and fostering the understanding of the link between the sources of pollution and threats to public health.
• Inform the traveling public on road and traffic conditions across the state and assist in the planning of transportation, utilities, broadband and other communication infrastructure that will physically or electronically connect citizens in the future.

For more information on specific GIS applications, visit www.cio.ca.gov/gis.html