ing from a one-time to an operational mapping program. The one-time expense of the initial mapping is being covered with a combination of FEMA and state funds, but the state is also providing operating expenses for the program in future budgets, which will permit routine updating of the maps. Recognizing the need for a sizable one-time outlay and planning for ongoing operational expenses together ensure that the program will continue to deliver valuable information over time.

DFIRM maps require significant digital storage space. North Carolina is purchasing 20 terabytes of data and will be using these in conjunction with data from other sources. There is a commitment to making the maps available to the public over the Internet through the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Information System, but because of the storage constraints, some of the more detailed data will be archived at the USGS EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, rather than being maintained online in North Carolina.

Since the maps are being developed by a state-federal partnership, another issue was whether to use meters or feet in the maps. (The federal government tends to use the metric system, and local governments tend to use the English system of feet and inches.) Still another issue to be addressed is differing practices among contractors related to the accuracy of the lidar-derived digital elevation information in terms of national mapping standards.

The number of issues related to population growth and the environment that must be discussed in a regional context is expanding. Moreover, natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and similar weather events do not affect discrete areas within county or municipal boundaries; they affect large regions that extend across and beyond political or administrative jurisdictions. Just as many governments cooperate in disaster response, they are also beginning to recognize the value of cooperating in the development of spatial data resources that can be used in disaster response and recovery across jurisdictions. Because of their capacity to provide comparable data over a large number of administrative units, remote sensing and GIS can be a valuable source of information for regional responses to growth and natural disasters, and for policy and decision making.

The only elected regional government in the United States, Portland Metro is pioneering the use of remote sensing data in a regional spatial data framework in Oregon. Portland Metro, which encompasses 24 city governments, three coun-

Front Matter (R1-R14)

Executive Summary (1-7)

1. Introduction (8-15)

2. Public Sector Applications of Remote Sensing Data (16-37)

3. Getting Started in Remote Sensing: Common Barriers and Bottlenecks (38-49)

4. Beyond State and Local Government (50-61)

5. Findings and Recommendations (62-70)

Appendix A: Transforming Remote Sensing Data into Information and Applications, Executive Summary (71-78)

Appendix B: Biographical Information on Steering Committee Members, Workshop Speakers, and Panelists (79-89)

Appendix C: Workshop Agenda and Participants (90-95)

Appendix D: Acronyms (96-97)