Since 1995, The US Virgin Islands has made important strides toward a coordinated Territorial GIS. In 2006, the Governor of the Virgin Islands established the Virgin Islands Geospatial Information Council (VIGIC) by executive order. In 2007, the VIGIC’s bylaws were adopted and officers of the council were elected.

A Geospatial Strategic Planning project is now underway, supported by a Cooperative Assistance Program (CAP) grant emanating from the USGS/FGDC’s Fifty States Initiative. The Strategic Plan will identify strategies for strengthening coordination of GIS data development, maintenance and sharing. Project activities will include:

• Conducting geospatial stakeholder interviews and information gathering workshops
• Working with VIGIC to identify priority recommendations
• Drafting the Strategic Plan
• Working with VIGIC to commence education and advocacy for implementing the plan’s recommendations

The project is anticipated to be completed by June, 2010.

USVI Geospatial Strategic Plan Findings and Recommendations Presentation

In January 2010, Applied Geographics presented the strategic plan findings and draft recommendations to the steering committee, executives and stakeholders. The presentation includes an overview of geospatial status and details on the proposed vision and strategic goal for the USVI. The slides from this presentation are available using the link below.

USVI Geospatial Strategic Plan Findings and Recommendations Slides (PDF)

USVI VIGIC Strategic Planning Session Presentation

The first Geospatial Strategic Planning stakeholder session was held at the 5th Annual Virgin Islands GIS Conference on November 19, 2009. The session provided a description of the strategic planning process and a summary of the current geospatial status in the USVI. The slides from this session are available using the link below.

USVI VIGIC Strategic Planning Session Slides (PDF)