History

In the mid-1970s, the State of Idaho participated in the Western Regional Applications Project, a NASA technology transfer program administered by the Ames Research Center. As a result of that participation, the Governor of Idaho, in 1978, issued an Executive Order that established the Idaho Image Analysis Facility within the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) and designated IDWR as the lead state agency for remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). Subsequent Executive Orders modernized the role and duties of the Idaho Image Analysis Facility and renamed it the Idaho Geographic information Center (IGIC). With the expiration of Executive Order #96-12, the IGIC passed into history. Although IDWR no longer houses the IGIC, the Ground Water Protection Act of 1989 designated IDWR as the state agency responsible for natural resource GIS. The agency still functions in that capacity.

Awards

ESRI honored The Idaho Department of Water Resources by naming it one of the first 87 organizations, world-wide, to be awarded Special Achievement in GIS, presented at the 1998 International User Group Conference in San Diego.

IDWR staff, current and past, have received individual awards as well.

• Bill Kramber and Tony Morse - Innovation in American Goverment Award, "Mapping Evapotranspiration from Satellites"
  Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard, Cambridge, MA
• Wilma Robertson and Danielle Bruno-Favreau - First Place Poster, "Research" 2009
  Intermountain GIS Conference, Coeur d'Alene, ID
• Michael Verdun and Tony Morse - First Place Poster, "Analysis"
  1997 Northwest ESRI User Conference; Seattle, WA
• Chris Cowling - First Place Poster, "Cartographic Design"
  1996 Northwest ESRI User Conference, Skamania, WA.
• Bob Harmon - First Place, AML Competition "Tools"
  1995 International ESRI User Conference; Palm Springs, CA
• Bob Harmon - First Place, SML Competition "Shortcuts"
  1993 International ESRI User Conference; Palm Springs, CA
• David Palmer - First Place, SML Competition "Tools"
  1993 International ESRI User Conference; Palm Springs, CA
• IGIC Staff - First Place Poster, "Natural Resources"
  1993 Northwest ESRI User Conference; Whitefish, MT
• Bob Harmon, David Palmer - First Place, SML "Applications"
  1992 International ESRI User Conference; Palm Springs, CA
• Linda Davis - Third Place, SML Competition "Applications"
  1992 International ESRI User Conference; Palm Springs, CA
• Tony Morse and Bill Kramber - Best Poster,
  1989 ERDAS International User Conference; Atlanta, GA