January 16, 2009 -- BOSTON -- The South Carolina Geographic Information Council (SC GIC) has hired Applied Geographics, Inc. (AppGeo) to conduct a statewide planning process for GIS coordination and to develop a new GIS Strategic Plan for the State.

“We are a state that is rich in GIS resources developed over many years by multiple levels of government,” said Dr. Timothy De Troye, State GIS Coordinator. “This project will explore how to increase the beneficial utilization of these resources through cooperative and collaborative efforts between the municipalities, counties and state agencies.”

“There are many excellent local GIS programs in South Carolina, as well as state agencies who are strong practitioners of GIS to meet their mission requirements,” said Rich Grady, President of AppGeo. “We will be conducting a series of regional GIS stakeholder meetings across the state to identify common interests, ideas, and incentives for strengthening coordination between levels of government.”

The project is funded through the Cooperative Assistance Program (CAP) administered by the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), which funds projects that support the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and the objectives of the Fifty States Initiative Action Plan. The project is using the GIS Strategic and Business Planning Templates and Process Guidelines developed by AppGeo in 2006 for the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) on behalf of the FGDC.

About Applied Geographics, Inc.
Applied Geographics, Inc. (AppGeo, www.appgeo.com) has been providing high quality GIS services and innovative solutions to government and private sector clients since 1991. AppGeo empowers its customers to put GIS to work through the intelligent use of geographic data and applications that improve work flows and business processes. AppGeo provides a full range of GIS consulting services: GIS strategic and implementation planning, data development, custom applications, training, cartography, implementation assistance and technical support. AppGeo services are available through a variety of state blanket contracts and nationwide through its GSA IT Schedule 70.