Ferriera John D. Evans MIT, Department of Urban Studies and Planning Dissertation Improvement Research: A Case Study of Infrastructures for Sharing Geographic Information Among Environmental Agencies This project seeks to determine why so few environmental agencies, not in the business of providing environmental data, share geographic information, despite the need to collaborate in protecting shared natural resources and the recent growth of networked information facilities. Initial studies suggest the reasons are a still-unclear combination of both technical and non- technical factors. An in-depth case study will analyze and compare four `coalitions` of government agencies in the U.S. that are building `sharing infrastructures` to exchange environmental data and use it meaningfully. The study will search for impacts of networked-shared information on the work of environmental managers, then determine and compare the intent, design, and architecture of the `sharing infrastructures,` and the quality and quantity of shared information that has resulted. The study will focus t he development of technical solutions to information sharing, evaluate present-day networks for information sharing, and highlight effective organizational strategies and technological growth paths for information-based collaboration.
