A national Geographic Information System appears to be on the horizon as government and non-government organizations realize that it can be used at many different levels and in many different ways to improve services and detect problems.

Until now, there have been pieces of GIS in government, but a national system would let people combine data in different ways for science, government and consumers. Sure, there's Google maps already on the Internet, and various government agencies using geographic tools for the public to see maps of everything from high-risk flooding to high-wind map locations. But a national GIS would definitely make it easier for government to track plenty of geographic data that now is scattered all over the Internet.

Questions, however, remain. Who will be in charge of this vast new data stream? Furthermore, who will pay for developing this site? Will it be accessible to everyone in the true spirit of transparency, or will there be limits on who gets to see the information?

For more on a national GIS:
- check out this Government Computer News article