- Government
- Administration Services
- GIS
- Data Policy
Data Policy
Centre County GIS Purpose
The purpose of the Centre County Geographic Information System Office (GIS Office) is to capture, store, and analyze data for both internal departmental use, and for public consumption. The primary role of the GIS Office is to assist Emergency Communications, (911), with addressing maintenance and Computer Aided Dispatch, (CAD), data support. The GIS Office is also a major supporter of the Board of Commissioners, Conservation District, Elections and Voter Registration, Emergency Management Agency, Planning and Community Development, Sheriff, Tax Assessment, Tax Collection and Tax Claims, and Transportation departments. The GIS Office additionally provides cooperation and support to many other County Offices, as well as County Municipalities, through the creation, maintenance, and distribution of specific projects.
Data Ownership
All of the data in the Centre County GIS is either licensed for use by Centre County, provided to Centre County for its use, or developed and acquired in its entirety by Centre County. Each type of data and every data layer in the system will be assigned to a responsible agency or department. The responsible agency will have the ability to change and update map layer and attribute information.
Data Confidentiality
The director of each department using the Centre County GIS will individually work with the director of Administrative Services to identify those maps or data that should be considered confidential. Their decisions will then be subject to the review and approval by the County Solicitor.
Fitness for Use
The data in the GIS was acquired to assist in performing governmental duties and it is the responsibility of each Department Director to determine its fitness for that purpose. There is no guarantee of the data's fitness for other uses.
Data Access - County Departments & Agencies
GIS data will be available at no cost to those County agencies and departments which have a need for it as determined by the Centre County Commissioners. Network access within the County Offices will provide the ability to read and copy data that is not designated as confidential. The standard hours of data availability on the GIS network will be between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Extended hours for data access will be provided on an as needed basis. Data availability 24 hours a day is the ultimate goal for data access. Users will be notified with as much advance warning as possible when the system will be unavailable due to system maintenance.
Data Access - Inspection of GIS Data
All hard copy and digital maps that are a part of the Centre County GIS will be available for inspection and review at no charge, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, not including holidays. Standard products that are developed from the GIS data will be available for photocopying.
Data Access - Purchase by Businesses, Citizens, Agencies & Others
- GIS data in a digital form will be provided based on layer or area of interest. A cost sheet is available from the GIS Department upon request. Full color plots and other standard output products are available and also listed on the cost sheet. The time required for an employee to research and create special product will be billed at the rate of $60 per hour with a half hour minimum. Estimates of the time needed to provide data or create a product will be provided upon request. All purchasers must agree to the terms and conditions of the Centre County GIS Data License Agreement.
- The County of Centre has a responsibility to honor the GIS data licensing agreements by which it is bound. Data in the Centre County GIS that was provided or licensed from other companies or sources must be acquired by users directly from those sources. A list of organizations that provided GIS data to the County of Centre is available.
- All copies of products derived from the GIS data from Centre County Government shall include the following statement: "The County of Centre hereby disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any damage, injury , loss, claim or lawsuit arising from any error, inaccuracy or other problem with the data contained on this document, the digital media it was produced from, or the digital media itself."
- Centre County GIS data will be provided to authorized users and purchasers using a variety of media. All users of the data regardless of the media used for delivery are required to read and accept the terms and conditions of the Centre County GIS Data License Agreement.
The Centre County GIS data policy was approved by the Board of Centre County Commissioners. In as much as it is subject to change and amendment, Centre County GIS data users should contact the director of Administrative Services to ensure that they are referring to the most current version of the policy.