Water Code § 16.021

Sec. 16.021. TEXAS GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION OFFICE. (a) The executive administrator shall establish the Texas Geographic Information Office to serve Texas agencies and citizens as a centralized clearinghouse and referral center for: (1) natural resource data; (2) census data; (3) data related to emergency management; and (4) other socioeconomic data. (b) The executive administrator may, on behalf of the Texas Geographic Information Office, enter into partnerships with private entities to provide additional funding for improved access to Texas Geographic Information Office information. The board shall adopt administrative rules to describe the process of establishing partnerships, define the types of partnerships that may be formed, establish the fee collection process, and define the nondiscriminatory methods used to determine which private entities may enter into partnerships. Any process developed by the board must comply with all applicable laws regarding ethics, purchasing, and contracts. (c) The executive administrator shall designate the deputy executive administrator of the Texas Geographic Information Office to serve as the state geographic information officer. The state geographic information officer shall: (1) coordinate the acquisition and use of high-priority imagery and data sets; (2) establish, support, and disseminate authoritative statewide geographic data sets; (3) support geographic data needs of emergency management responders during emergencies; (4) monitor trends in geographic information technology; and (5) support public access to state geographic data and resources. (d) Not later than December 1, 2016, and before the end of each successive five-year period after that date, the board shall submit to the governor, lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives a report that contains recommendations regarding: (1) statewide geographic data acquisition needs and priorities, including updates on progress in maintaining the statewide digital base maps described by Subsection (e)(6); (2) policy initiatives to address the acquisition, use, storage, and sharing of geographic data across the state; (3) funding needs to acquire data, implement technologies, or pursue statewide policy initiatives related to geographic data; and (4) opportunities for new initiatives to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, or accessibility of state government operations through the use of geographic data. (d-1) The board shall consult with stakeholders in preparing the report required by Subsection (d). (e) The executive administrator shall: (1) further develop the Texas Geographic Information Office by promoting and providing for effective acquisition, archiving, documentation, indexing, and dissemination of natural resource and related digital and nondigital data and information; (2) obtain information in response to disagreements regarding names and name spellings for natural and cultural features in the state and provide this information to the Board on Geographic Names of the United States Department of the Interior; (3) make recommendations to the Board on Geographic Names of the United States Department of the Interior for naming any natural or cultural feature subject to the limitations provided by Subsection (f); (4) make recommendations to the Department of Information Resources to adopt and promote standards that facilitate sharing of digital natural resource data and related socioeconomic data among federal, state, and local governments and other interested parties; (5) acquire and disseminate natural resource and related socioeconomic data describing the Texas-Mexico border region; and (6) coordinate, conduct, and facilitate the development, maintenance, and use of mutually compatible statewide digital base maps depicting natural resources and man-made features. (f) A recommendation may not be made under Subsection (e)(3) for: (1) a feature previously named under statutory authority or recognized by an agency of the federal government, the state, or a political subdivision of the state; (2) a feature located on private property for which consent of the property owner cannot be obtained; or (3) naming a natural or cultural feature for a living person. (g) The board may establish one or more advisory committees to assist the board or the executive administrator in implementing this section, including by providing information in connection with the preparation of the report required by Subsection (d). In appointing members to an advisory committee, the board shall consider including representatives of: (1) state agencies that are major users of geographic data; (2) federal agencies; (3) local governments; and (4) the Department of Information Resources. Amended by Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 2207, ch. 870, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977; Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 795, Sec. 1.045, eff. Sept. 1, 1985; Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 21, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1010, Sec. 7.02, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1234, Sec. 24, eff. Sept. 1, 2001. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 67 (S.B. 622), Sec. 1, eff. May 11, 2007. Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1233 (S.B. 660), Sec. 6, eff. September 1, 2011. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 723 (H.B. 2489), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2023. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 723 (H.B. 2489), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2023.