Introduction / Use Statement

Use statement

A citizen of western North Carolina, perhaps a homeowner or student, poses the following question:

The answer is the North Carolina Geographic Data Clearinghouse, which is now accessible through the Mountain Area Information Network. The North Carolina Geographic Data Clearinghouse (NCGDC) is a comprehensive directory of North Carolina digital geographic data produced by government agencies, lead regional organizations, universities, and other organizations throughout the state. Anyone looking for digital geographic information on streams, highways, Census TIGER files, municipal boundaries, water supply, watersheds, waste sites, or other geographic features can browse the NCGDC data listings through the M@IN Internet link.

It is important to remember two things when responding to requests about geographic data.

• First, the NCGDC is not the source of the actual data, but rather a directory of the data. The NCGDC lists the data that are available and information about how the data were collected, who developed the data, and who to contact to obtain the data and additional information about the data. You will not be able to view the location of the Henderson County waste sites or the public water supply intakes on the M@IN page.
• Second, anyone that obtains the data will need specialized software - computer mapping or Geographic Information System (GIS) software - to use the data. There may be a government agency or private company that can offer this service.

Before we attempt to answer the question posed above, the tutorial will introduce the user to the concepts of GIS, spatial data, GIS software, the NSDI and geographic data clearinghouses.

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