(a)
(1) There is established on the books of the Treasurer of State, the Auditor of State, and the Chief Fiscal Officer of the State a trust fund to be known as the “Geographic Information Systems Fund”.
(2) The fund shall consist of:
(A) Funds approved by the General Assembly;
(B) Grants, gifts, and donations received by the State of Arkansas for the purposes of this section;
(C) Agency investments toward enterprise geographic information systems projects;
(D) Federal funds; and
(E) Any other funds allowable by law.
(3) The fund shall be used to:
(A) Carry out the duties, responsibilities, and authority of the Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Board as described by § 15-21-504;
(B) Create, operate, and maintain GeoStor, the Arkansas Spatial Data Infrastructure; and
(C) Create, update, maintain, and disseminate framework spatial data as defined by § 15-21-502.
(b)
(1)
(A) The State Geographic Information Officer shall manage the fund, and the Governor shall oversee the expenditures from the fund.
(B) The board shall establish standards and methodologies for evaluating the funding of enterprise-level geographic information systems projects.
(2)
(A) The State Geographic Information Officer, with advice from the board, shall evaluate, prioritize, and approve proposals for geographic information systems projects.
(B) The proposals and requests for funding shall demonstrate any or all of the following:
(i) Improvement in the quality of life for Arkansans;
(ii) Elimination of redundant systems;
(iii) Improved service for Arkansas citizens;
(iv) Enhanced economic development opportunities in Arkansas;
(v) Implementation of electronic government twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week;
(vi) Substantial benefit to more than one (1) agency through lower operating costs; and
(vii) Continued development of the Arkansas Spatial Data Infrastructure.