National Association of GIS-Centric Solutions


Home  |  News  |  Members  |  Certification  |  Questions  |  Contact


Questions and answers about NAGCS®:

1. What does NAGCS stand for?
National Association of GIS-Centric Solutions.

2. What is the purpose of NAGCS.
An association of Esri® and ArcGIS® licensed organizations dedicated to:
  • promoting Esri GIS as a mission critical enterprise-wide solution;
  • the benefits of an organization leveraging their investment in Esri GIS;
  • the benefits and unique characteristics of GIS-centric software solutions;
  • the benefits of the geodatabase as the authoritative asset / feature data repository;
    and
  • the benefits of the geodatabase as an open and shared database.

3. Has the certification mark been used?
Yes, for the software solutions listed on the Certification tab.

4. What software systems can use the mark?
Any software system that can pass the certification testing as setup by NAGCS.

5. What is the purpose of the certification mark?
The sole purpose is to indicate that the software application has passed the certification testing and has been certified as GIS-centric as defined by the NAGCS criteria. Only those software applications certified as meeting the NAGCS criteria will be authorized to use the mark.

6. What are the criteria?
Performance-based Criteria:
  • Esri ArcGIS geodatabase is the asset / feature data repository.
  • Non-redundant asset / feature data storage with no reliance on views, links, data mapping, or database triggers.
  • User-definable asset / feature data model that is customizable without vendor support.
  • Non-proprietary asset / feature data structures for field names, types, tables, relationships, and other data design elements.
  • Shared asset / feature data design allowing other GIS-centric solutions to concurrently utilize the asset / feature data.
  • Inherently location-aware asset / feature data structure, enabling full utilization of GIS analysis and modeling tools.
  • ArcGIS software is used to create and maintain the asset / feature data - including for coordinates, shapes, attributes, and data error identification and correction methods - preserving the integrity of the geodatabase relationships, domains, data types, etc.

7. Can the criteria be modified?
Criteria may be modified by unanimous agreement by the NAGCS board members. It is anticipated that criteria and terminology may need to be modified and updated from time to time.

8. How can a software application solution be certified?
Any organization can apply to have their software application certified by contacting NAGCS. NAGCS then forwards the application to a 3rd-party neutral for testing. The association has appointed John Pryzbyla of Woolpert as the 3rd-party neutral. John is a nationally recognized expert for Public Works and Utilities and a GISP. A fee will be charged by Woolpert to cover the cost for the testing.