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UGRC history

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The Utah Geospatial Resource Center (UGRC) is a government agency located in Taylorsville, Utah, United States. It has been operating since 1984 but was established in 1991[1] to provide geospatial data and services to state and local governments, as well as to the general public.

Agency overview
Formed 1982
Preceding agencies
  • Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC)
  • Automated Geographic Reference (AGR)
Jurisdiction State of Utah
Headquarters Taylorsville, Utah
Employees 12
Agency executive Laura Ault, Director
Parent department Department of Technology Services
Parent agency Department of Government Operations
Website gis.utah.gov

History

In 1981, the State of Utah signed a contract with ESRI to purchase hardware, software, and training[2][3].

In 1982, the Automated Geographic Reference (AGR), in the Department of Natural Resources, was established to create a state-wide catalog of existing and desired data, automated support for this catalog, capability of capturing additional data, and addition of a geographic component to existing state agency data[4].

In 1984, AGR purchased ARC/INFO on a PRIME minicomputer[5][6].

In 1989, AGR was renamed to the Automated Geographic Reference Center (AGRC) and was moved to the Department of Administrative Services and the Division of Information Technology services.[7]. This change made the State Geographic Information Database (SGID) a priority and was created in less than a year[8][9].

In 1991, the AGRC and the SGID were created by Senate Bill 21[10].

The TURN GPS network was officially launched the Spring of 2006 and the maintenance and operations of the Nevada GPS Network were taken over by Utah the Spring of 2017.

In 2021, the Utah Legislature renamed AGRC to the Utah Geospatial Resource Center (UGRC) with House Bill 261[11]

Services

The UGRC offers a wide range of geospatial services, including data acquisition, analysis, mapping, and dissemination. The agency provides access to 390[12] Utah geospatial datasets stored in the State Geographic Information Datasource (SGID)[13], such as aerial imagery[14], elevation data, land ownership information, roads[15], and address points. Additionally, the UGRC offers consulting services to help organizations make the most of their geospatial data

Collaboration

The UGRC collaborates with other state and federal agencies, as well as with local governments and private organizations. It is a member of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), and works closely with the Utah Geographic Information Council (UGIC) to promote the use of geospatial data in Utah.

References