Earlier today Wisconsin’s new Geographic Information Officer Jim Giglierano (jill-yer-RON-oh) sent out the following words of appreciation for what has been a warm welcome to the state. I asked Jim if I could re-published his note here in order to help spread the word on his recent arrival in Wisconsin. He happily agreed. Jim took over as Wisconsin’s GIO on June 29th; he most recently worked for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach as a Geospatial Technology Program Manager.
Wisconsin GIO Jim Giglierano
July 20, 2015
Hello members of the land information community,
Thanks to all of you who have helped welcome me to Wisconsin as the new Geographic Information Officer.
I’ve been able to meet many of you, at the WLIA Spring Regional Meeting and other places, and I am impressed with the work that’s being done. It’s definitely an exciting time for GIS, land information and mapping in Wisconsin, and I feel very fortunate to have been invited here to help out.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve also taken the time to learn more about the history of GIS in the state and the Wisconsin Land Information Program. I‘ve met a few of the early land information pioneers in the state as well as some of the current GIS leaders. It’s clear there is enormous potential for future collaboration between local and statewide geospatial data providers. In the spirit of those land information pioneers, one of my top priorities is to assist the geospatial community to develop and participate in collaborative and mutually beneficial efforts like those of the WLIP.
A large part of my work in the coming months will be with the WLIP, including the Statewide Parcel Map Initiative. The WLIP team, along with the State Cartographer’s Office, will soon release the first publicly available version of the statewide parcel map database at the end of this month. This is a remarkable achievement and everyone associated with the project—especially the counties and municipalities providing the local data—should be very proud. The ongoing WLIP funding will help to maintain and improve successive versions of the parcel layer. I can say from direct knowledge that many other states are envious of Wisconsin’s situation, and if the opportunity ever arises when meeting colleagues in other states, you should definitely rub it in.
I look forward to working closely with all members of the geospatial stakeholder community, ranging from county representatives and state agencies to members of the private sector. I will be serving as the non-voting secretary of the new Wisconsin Land Information Council, which is scheduled to convene at the WLIA Fall Regional Meeting in October.
Broadly speaking, I am also interested in data sharing and open data practices. In Iowa, I participated in extensive research on the benefits of GIS and open data through three Federal Geographic Data Committee grants. Those studies employed return on investment methodologies, and were extremely helpful when explaining the value of GIS investments to management and other key stakeholders.
If you feel this might enrich your own discussions, I would enjoy sharing the ROI information with you.
On the technical side, much of my prior GIS work involved remote sensing technology, and deriving new products and services from imagery and LiDAR data. I hope to get involved in those areas here as well. I particularly see some opportunities related to the broad uses of LiDAR data products.
I’d also like to learn more about you! My contact information appears below. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions, share suggestions, and be in touch.
Sincerely,
Jim Giglierano
Geographic Information Officer
Division of Intergovernmental Relations
Department of Administration
101 East Wilson Street, 9th Floor
Madison, WI 53703
Office: (608) 267-6902
Mobile: (608) 354-3249
Jim.Giglierano@wisconsin.gov
P.S. For those curious about the nearly correct pronunciation of my last name, try this: jill-yer-RON-oh. I answer to most anything close, including Jim G.