Lieutenant Governor Gregory R. Francis announced today that the Virgin Islands Geospatial Information Council (VIGIC), an interagency organization coordinated by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, has received a generous contribution in the amount of $120,000 from the U.S. Geological Survey.  The funding enables the acquisition of the latest geospatial data and imagery of the territory and its surrounding cays, effectively updating the territory’s spatial data inventory.  The Office of the Lieutenant Governor coordinates the territory’s Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) program, which uses geographic data to advance areas of public safety, infrastructure planning and the preservation of natural resources.

Lt. Governor Francis is pleased that the exemplary work of VIGIC and the GIS program are being recognized. “The funding received from the USGS supports our confidence in the progress being made by the GIS program and our VIGIC partners,” said the Lt. Governor.   GIS data has become a valuable tool for the public and private sectors in various ways, including as a mechanism to track environmental changes and development, preserve natural resources, and enhance infrastructure planning. A visual identification of new development will also be an asset to the street naming and addressing program that is being developed by the Office of the Lt. Governor.

The Army Corps of Engineers will use aerial photography to collect the spatial data images.  The new data is expected to be an immediate asset to surveyors, geodesists and other GIS practitioners. The project is expected to begin on April 30, 2010.

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