VGIN was established in 1997 in Virginia Code to “foster the creative utilization of geographic information and oversee the development of a catalog of GIS data available in the Commonwealth.” Core functions of VGIN are:
- Develop and recommend policies and guidelines required to support state and local government exchange, acquisition, storage, use, sharing and distribution of geographic or base map data and related technologies
- Compile a data catalog consisting of descriptions of GIS coverages maintained by individual state and local government agencies
- Setting priorities for the development of state digital geographic data and base maps that meet the needs of state agencies, institutions of higher education, and local governments
- Provide services, geographic data products, and access to the repository at rates established by the Division
Source: Virginia Code § 2.2-2026 and § 2.2-2027
Strategic Planning
GIS Strategic Plan 2020-2022: Strategic Plan | Story Map
GIS Strategic Plan 2015 to 2020
GIS Strategic Plan 2010 to 2015
Standards and Work Groups
Base Map Data Layers
VGIN Geospatial Data Services
VGIN Services include the statewide metadata and data clearinghouse portal, hosted web mapping services and applications and geospatial needs assessment and project management services.
Statewide Data Clearinghouse
VGIN hosts the Virginia GIS Clearinghouse, available on the web at http://vgin.maps.arcgis.com. The Virginia GIS Clearinghouse hosts a wealth of data and metadata for Virginia datasets made available through state agencies, local governments, and others.
Base Map Layers and Web Mapping Services
VGIN offers a variety of data layers for public use and subscription consumption.
VGIN Map Services supported usage hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Services could be unavailable outside those hours. Public map data is also available through a GARDEN node at William and Mary, please see the GARDEN section of this page for more information. For issues with map service availability, please contact VBMP for assistance.
Publicly available
Publicly available VGIN web service data layers can be see in the catalog at gismaps.vita.virginia.gov/arcgis/rest/services .
USDA NAIP Imagery
NAIP imagery for 2014 can be viewed from the USDA web server at https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/aerial-photography/imagery-programs/naip-imagery/or connect to the map server in ArcMap.
Geocoding Services
VGIN offers an ArcGIS Server-based geocoding service that can be used in ESRI GIS software or accessed via Web services for integration with Web-based applications. This is a cascading geocoding service, returning results from locality address point data, locality road centerline address range data, and commercial NAVTEQ address range data. The combination of data sources provide high hit rate and accuracy for address locations. Hours of support for the geocoding service are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Contact VBMP for more information.
GARDEN
GARDEN (Geospatial Archive Resource and Data Exchange Network) is a distributed network built with University partners to increase access to VGIN data and services. The program website is available at: http://garden.vgingis.com.
State and Local Government GIS Surveys
2012 State Agency GIS User Survey – Poster of Graphic Results from State Agency GIS Survey