Geospatial Data Enterprise Repository: A Report on the Prototype for Fort Hood, Texas

Geographic Information System (GIS) data management options have expanded rapidly over the past several years. Software and hardware advances have provided better network access to spatial data, allowed more complex geospatial data models, and have made the integration of GIS and database management systems a reality. At Fort Hood, Texas, GIS technology has been used extensively for military land management. Though their current technology is mature, there remain several issues related to geospatial data management that hinder efficiency, including: duplication of data themes, uncertainty about accountability for the content of key data themes, turn over of GIS staff with a subsequent loss of institutional knowledge, and time-consuming data requests. This report outlines a proposed plan for a centralized geospatial data repository, the Data Enterprise Repository (DER), to meet geospatial data requirements. The core users of the system are the Environmental Division Office, Cultural Resource Management Team, Natural Resource Branch, and the Integrated Training Area Management office. The DER will also benefit those who need to view maps from the system but do not use a GIS, and will enable people offsite, who are performing work at the installation, to get better access to the data they require for their work.