A. The legislature finds that geographically related information of potential use to the state of Louisiana has been collected and stored in numerous formats by many state entities. Geographic information system (GIS) technology is rapidly advancing, and many agencies throughout state government have used this technology to develop a variety of applications. No centralized geographically related data resource or network for data communication and exchange currently exists. This type of network can use available GIS technology to eliminate duplication of effort and unnecessary redundancy in data collections and systems and to provide for integration of geographically related data bases to facilitate the policy and planning purposes of the state of Louisiana.
B. The legislature further finds that cooperation and coordination among the various state entities developing and maintaining GIS systems is necessary for the economical use of state resources allocated to acquire GIS technology and associated data bases.
C. It is the purpose of this Chapter to create a mechanism for interagency cooperation in the sound development of state geographic information systems.