To provide communities with greater access to information about their communities and regions, the Clinton-Gore Administration is proposing a new $39.5 million interagency Community/Federal Information Partnership(C/FIP) that will make new informational tools more readily available on the local level. These tools include Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology -- easy-to-understand computer maps that show different aspects of a region -- which will help communities to make more informed, collaborative decisions about regional growth.

The proposed $39.5 million in FY2000 funding for the Partnership will accomplish two primary objectives. First, approximately 60 percent of the funding will be available as competitive, matching grants to local, regional, and national non-Federal agencies and organizations to build local capacity to use GIS technology. Second, the remainder of the funding will be used to improve public access to geographic information residing in Federal agencies.

This technology (which shows everything from parks to buildings to farmland) will make it dramatically easier for communities to envision and chart their growth. Syndicated Columnist Neal Peirce writes, "Using that data [GIS technology] to visualize the impact of proposed development has to be a perfect form of federal R&D for smart communities. Demystify growth decisions, and there's a real opportunity to democratize the development process, to let ordinary citizens ... influence how communities grow and develop." The National Association of Counties also recognizes the "necessity and viability of GIS for the support of all levels of government in their planning and operation efforts."

The 15 Federal agencies that make up the Federal Geographic Data Committee -- which was originally launched by the Vice President's reinventing government initiative -- make up this new Partnership. These Federal Agencies are working in cooperation with a variety of stakeholders, including state, local and tribal governments, the academic community, and the private sector. Funding for the Partnership will be provided by the Departments of the Interior, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

• Clinton-Gore Livability Agenda: Building Livable Communities for the 21st Century: Introduction
• Clinton-Gore Livability Agenda: Building Livable Communities for the 21st Century--Press Release
• Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by Vice President Al Gore, Monday, January 11, 1999