Geographic information systems (GIS): local government and law enforcement--partners in technology

The cost to implement and maintain a geographic information system (GIS) is prohibitive to many local governments. It is rare that a single department or agency can burden the entire cost of the system. Consequently, in order to distribute the costs local governments are forming partnerships with those who benefit from the system. One such partnership is with law enforcement. GIS engineers and developers must understand the needs and expectations of law enforcement in order to serve this segment of the GIS market. This paper examines these needs and expectations and looks at how current GIS technology is addressing the issues.