The Nebraska Geographic Information Systems Council was originally established by the Legislature in 1991 (Reissued Revised Statutes of Nebraska, 1943, §86-569 through §86-573), in an effort to coordinate the implementation of GIS technology by state and local government in Nebraska. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a powerful information technology that has numerous applications in both the public and private sectors. The role of the Steering Committee is to see that public investment in GIS technology is achieved in a coordinated efficient manner.

The GIS Council was originally called the Nebraska GIS Steering Committee. In 2008, the Nebraska Legislature modified the statutes relating to state GIS coordination and renamed the GIS Steering Committeee as the GIS Council and made it an advisory committee to Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC). The NITC is the overarching IT policy body for Nebraska information technology coordination.

The Nebraska GIS Council, as defined by statutes, consists of eleven representatives of specific state government level agencies; two representatives of the Nebraska Association of County Officials; one representative each from the League of Nebraska Municipalities, the Natural Resources Districts, and from public power districts; one representative of federal agencies, and two at-large representatives. Beyond the nineteen GIS Council members defined by statute, the statutes also allows the NITC to expand the GIS Council to include additional members to provide for needed representation. A GIS Council Charter was adopted by the NITC on 6-18-08 (and revised on 11-5-11) to further define the relationships between the NITC and the GIS Council. As part of that Charter, the GIS Council membership was expanded to include representatives from two additional state agencies, a professional GIS association, Lincoln and Omaha area local governments, and up to two additional at-large representatives. In addition to the staff support received from participating agencies, the GIS Council's efforts are supported by a Coordinator, Nathan Watermeier, based in the Office of the CIO, Department of Administrative Services.

GIS Council's Mission Statement.
The mission of the Nebraska Geographic Information System Steering Committee is to encourage the appropriate utilization of GIS technology and to assist organizations to make public investments in GIS technology and geospatial data in an effective, efficient, and coordinated manner.

In addition to working closely with its many in-state members and partners, the GIS Council also coordinates with and provides leadership for many national and regional geospatial coordination efforts within Nebraska. 

On the state and regional level, the GIS Council actively supports and coordinates with the educational efforts of Nebraska GIS/LIS Association, a professional membership organization, and the multi-state regional efforts of the MidAmerica GIS Consortium. 

On the national level, the GIS Council has a formal partnership agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Programs Office (NGPO) to jointly promote the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), is an active member of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), and works closely with many of the initiatives of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC). 

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