PD&R’s current active role in providing technical expertise, research, and analysis for the development of HUD’s enterprise GIS is necessary and appropriate.

Conclusion: A user friendly, web-based GIS is an efficient means for providing information about local housing conditions and making basic data available to the public. The utility of the information depends on the accuracy and the relevance of the basic data and the methods by which the information was derived. The development of a well-designed web-based GIS is a long-term process. User input is critical to this process.

Recommendation: To improve dissemination and promote the use of spatial data, HUD should:

• Involve users in design of the web-based GIS;

• Sponsor conferences and workshops for clients and partners about using spatial data;

• Support online groups for HUD spatial database users; and

• Produce an Internet newsletter devoted to spatial data and analysis.

PD&R is well-positioned to:

• Work with HUD clients and data users to derive the most appropriate GIS designs and to identify needed data and functions.

• Manage data confidentiality. For some sensitive data, PD&R will need to develop a policy on releasing confidential data as well as algorithms to suppress sensitive data to protect privacy.

• Take a lead in establishing a node for housing and related economic and demographic data in the NSDI’s National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse.

• Support the functions of an agency-wide enterprise GIS across all relevant HUD units.

HUD’s mission has a strong spatial component so there is tremendous potential and need for spatially referenced data and geographic analysis for policy development. For example, one can use GIS to determine mortgage distribution, patterns of segregation, and neighborhood change. GIS has

Front Matter (R1-R14)

Executive Summary (1-16)

1. Introduction (17-28)

2. Ensuring the Availability, Accuracy, and Relevance of Urban and Housing Data (29-50)

3. Data Disseminaton and Software Tools (51-68)

4. Research and Policy Development (69-92)

5. The Role of Partnerships (93-106)

References (107-112)

Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members (113-118)

Appendix B: Workshop Agenda (119-122)

Appendix C: Other Contributors (123-126)

Appendix D: Acronym List (127-128)