GIS Collaborations in Saskatchewan: SGIC and the University of Saskatchewan Library

摘要

GIS (Geographic Information System) libraries face challenges at both ends of the spectrum when it comes to acquiring GIS data. On one hand, the increase in popularity of GIS driven by services like Google Earth, Bing maps, and open data has made large amounts of GIS data freely available to users. On the other hand, specialty GIS data products, often needed by researchers, industry, and government, can be so costly that they are impossible for a library to purchase on its own. In situations like the latter, collaborations often provide the solution for acquiring the necessary GIS data. This report discusses one of the most significant collaborations the University of Saskatchewan GIS Library has been involved with, the Saskatchewan Geospatial Imagery Collaborative (SGIC). The report will outline the collaboration, its goals and outcomes, as well as provide examples of how various members of the collaboration are utilizing the data. Lessons learned through this collaboration are also discussed, which can aid other libraries interested in collaborating to purchase special types of data.