Corporate Geographic Database range from a minimum 
speed of 1.5 megabytes per second to the full capability 
offered through the NCIH at 10 to 150 megabytes per 
second. Access points are configured for hardware and 
software capable of communicating across the Internet 
using a UNIX workstation with 32 mb of memory or a 
personal computer with 16mb of memory and PC NFS 
TCP/IP software. 
A current listing of agencies using the network as a 
method of access to the Corporate Geographic Database 
follows: 
CGIA- Raleigh, NC 
CGIA - Asheville, NC 
NC State Property Office 
NC Department of Agriculture 
NC Division of Water Resources 
NC Division of Coastal Management 
NC Division of Air Quality 
NC Division of Water Quality 
NC Division of Land Resources 
NC Division of Marine Fisheries 
NC State University - Forest Resources 
NC State University - Biological and Agricultural 
Engineering 
NC State University - Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric 
Sciences 
NC State University - Soil Science 
Western Piedmont Regional Council of Governments 
The list is expected to expand as the NCIH technology 
becomes more available to GIS installations throughout 
the state. 
FUTURE DIRECTION AND NEEDS 
In order to fully realize the benefits of public access to 
geospatial data, several other initiatives must continue to 
be pursued and sponsored. As an example, the use of 
data content standards contribute directly to the usability 
of accessible data. Often, a user must quickly submit 
data into an application for the public decision event of 
the moment, day, or week. | However, access to 
geospatial data can be meaningless to the user whose 
progress is thwarted by inconsistency in data content. 
Initiatives begun by the GICC and the FGDC and 
international bodies must continue to be pursued 
intensely to implement the full vision for the NSDI. As 
data from multiple organizations are offered, geospatial 
data content standards must be in place and implemented 
in order to effectively apply the data. Equal participation 
by federal, state, and local organizations in development 
or refinement of content standards must occur to reduce 
the additional burden to the end users. 
Advances in the area of interoperability is also expected 
to move rapidly in the next few years. The Open GIS 
Consortium, Inc. (OGIS) is working on the development of 
interoperability specifications that will resolve data 
transferability issues concerning hardware, software, and 
other related systems and data compatibility issues. The 
OGIS group, founded in 1993, now has more than 100 
public and private organizations supporting its mission. 
Usage fees for connections to NCIH technology have 
been lowered over the past few years, however, the 
current costs are still considered high and exclusionary 
for many agencies using GIS. Lower rates and 
adjustments in agency budgets must occur in order for all 
entities to be able to access and provide geospatial data 
under the desired scenarios of the NSDI on the NCIH. 
CONCLUSION 
The State of North Carolina provides one of the more 
liberal open record policies within the United States. 
Since the enactment of the Public Records Law, in 1935, 
the public has enjoyed the right to inspect government 
records for free or at minimal costs. Today, this includes 
the right of access to electronic records and geospatial 
data produced by more than 200 local, state, and federal 
organizations in the state. 
Technology, such as geographic information systems, 
the North Carolina Information Highway, and applications 
such as the North Carolina Geographic Data 
Clearinghouse now permit data producers and users to 
search, discover, learn about, and apply geospatial 
datasets in a multitude of applications that affect both 
public and private business decisions. The combined 
technology intends to provide efficient access to data 
that are part of the North Carolina Corporate Geographic 
Database, the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, and 
eventually the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure. 
In partnership with numerous entities, North Carolina is 
clearly one of the leaders in the area of policy and 
technology providing for access and utilization of 
geospatial data. 
REFERENCES 
Federal Geographic Data Committee, Content Standards 
for Geospatial Metadata, Washington, D.C. USA, 1994 
Institute of Government, Local Government Law - 
Changes in the Public Records Law, The University of 
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC USA, 1995 
National Academy of Public Administration, Geographic 
Information for the 21st Century, Washington, D.C. , 1998 
North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating 
Council, 1997 Survey of GIS Availability in North Carolina 
Counties, Raleigh, NC USA, 1997 
North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and 
Analysis, North Carolina Corporate Geographic Data 
Catalog, , Raleigh, NC USA, 1998 
North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and 
Analysis, Geographic Information North Carolina, 
Internet resource address: http://www.cgia.state.nc.us/, 
Raleigh, NC USA, 1998 
North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating 
Council, Strategic Plan for Geographic Information 
Coordination in North Carolina, Raleigh, NC USA, 1994 
North Carolina Office of the Controller, North Carolina 
Information Highway, Assessment and Evaluation 
Report, Internet resource address: http://www.ncih.net/ 
Raleigh, NC USA, 1996 
142 International Archives of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Vol. XXXII, Part 7, Budapest, 1998 
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