Feature geospatial resources, approaches, materials, or products developed by federal agencies may be leveraged or reused by the public to meet different needs. To determine how geospatial technologies and approaches are used within the federal government to carry out its business, Geospatial LoB team members assembled use cases profiling federal programs or projects that leverage geospatial technology successfully and productively meet internal needs or provide information to the public. Interviews were conducted with members of the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Information collected from these groups was analyzed to identify common themes, approaches, and lessons learned. For more information on a particular example, contact the authors. The article concludes with an overview of where Geospatial LoB is headed. Examples of Geospatial Enabling A list of geoenabled use cases is summarized in Table 1. To highlight trends and application areas, use cases are organized into six categories: consolidating information, improving and streamlining operations, increased sharing and interagency coordination, automating and improving adherence to standards, providing GIS toolkits and suites of services, and including stakeholder outreach and input. Consolidating Information A key characteristic of GIS technology is its ability to bring data and information together. Many agencies leverage GIS to combine data from disparate sources to serve specific, mission-oriented goals. For example, NOAA created nowCOAST, a geoenabled Web site that provides access to real-time coastal data. This site brings together georeferenced information from numerous federal agencies, NOAA’s internal resources, and 15,000 external sources. Providing timely information on coastal and climatic phenomena directly supports three www.esri.com NOAA mission goals: protecting national safety, serving society’s needs for weather information, and supporting the nation’s commerce. For NOAA, GIS created value by enabling an integrated, authoritative, Web-based source for information on coastal conditions that is easily accessible for the public, commercial purposes, and federal users. A different type of information consolidation is the development of the Common Land Unit (CLU) dataset by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). FSA created the CLU as a comprehensive digital dataset that includes millions of farmland boundaries obtained from paper maps in more than 2,300 offices. The CLU helps FSA carry out mission-critical functions, including compliance and conservation, by combining digital farm boundaries with business data. The consolidated data helps FSA meet its mission goals while saving the agency time and resources. Improving and Streamlining Operations The TERRA program, also created by the USDA FSA, combines 27 formerly indepen- dent calculations and pieces of information into one geoenabled application. TERRA helps FSA weigh the costs and benefits of renting land from farmers to stop soil erosion—a mission-critical function that is part of the Conservation Reserve Program. Both farmers and staff members use this database to quickly visualize areas of protected land and improve decision making. Calculations that may have taken days in the past now take only minutes. Another example of streamlining processes is the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Mapping and Analysis for Public Safety (MAPS) program at DOJ. Through the MAPS program, NIJ created a range of geospatial tools that focus on mapping incidents of crime to better inform police investigations and actions. These tools provide a number of functions ranging from hot spot analysis, journey to crime estimation, and near-repeat calculations. MAPS tools support DOJ’s mission by improving the ability of law enforcement professionals to fight crime while simultaneously providing resources that support researchers studying law enforcement and crime. Continued on page 24 The nowCOAST Web site provides access to real-time coastal data from numerous federal agencies, NOAA’s internal resources, and 15,000 external sources. ArcUser Spring 2010 23