One of the fundamental differences between Canadian GIS development and that of the Americans is the availability of information. While both countries have "Freedom of Information" legislation, the American act, embodied within their constitution, states that any information gathered by the government not pertaining to personal privacy or national security, is the property of the people of the United States. Another stipulation states that the information cannot be sold by the government for more that the cost of its distribution. This means that government agencies are not even allowed to charge to cover the costs of collecting the information. Consequently, American information is much cheaper and more readily available than in any other country. Canada does not share such strict legislation and Canadian agencies tend to guard their information quite closely. The information that is available is usually quite expensive.
American government agencies, looking for a way to cut distribution costs, saw the internet as an easy way to meet the needs of an American society growing hungrier for information. The site with the most American information is most likely the USGS (United States Geological Survey) site (http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/doc/edchome/ndcdb/ ndcdb.html). Canada's most prolific site is the National Atlas Information Service (http://www.nais.ccm.emr.ca). This site is being designed by Geomatics Canada which is the national agency responsible for GIS data.
Another reason for sharing geographic data is that spatial data is a very useful tool and therefore has value. Dataset catalogues are available on the web where users can download data pertaining to their area of study for a price. There are also subscription services which offer access to their GIS systems for a monthly fee. These services are always dynamic, constantly updating their data in order to keep their subscribers.
An innovative concept which has been the driving force behind many of DGI's early innovations is the idea of "proof-of-concept". This term refers to agencies completing innovative projects just because they "can be done". This concept is becoming less and less prevalent as the notion of internet payment and services becomes easier and safer.
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