Geographic information technology (GIT) has been developing in technology-centered areas, such as urban centers and academic institutions, for decades. These technology centers, however, represent a relatively small fraction of the land area in most states; certainly this is true for Missouri and Iowa. There is a critical need to have accurate and consistent information to fill in these data gaps for all stakeholders. Rural communities, however, are only recently facing the leap to geospatial technology. Unique considerations influence geospatial development and maintenance in rural communities.
As rural communities come on-line with geospatial information, more opportunities must be created for education, outreach and support. The need for basic training, management and development of geospatial programs in small, isolated communities has not been meaningfully addressed by the existing opportunities. For many rural communities, technology literacy and skill are often relatively low, and therefore understanding of technology and its merits are likewise low. Even for those with local technology skills, maintaining trained personnel is challenging due to better paying geospatial jobs in urban areas. Moreover, understanding and misunderstanding of the details of geospatial contracts (i.e. imagery, data development solutions, software licensing) has had a ‘souring’ effect on the willingness of some communities to engage in GIT. We propose a locally-based outreach program (‘Rural GIS Summit’) to focus attention on and support for underrepresented communities in the GIT landscape.
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