While much of our work starts as a conversation about mapping, we frequently find ourselves helping our clients think through strategies. By looking at the geography of their concerns and at how they define their issues, we can use GIS to test approaches to programs and to communicating key messages. 

GreenInfo Network staff helps you with general strategy in the course of most projects. But we can also provide more intensive assistance on these tasks:

• Define intended program outcomes
• Target specific audiences for those programs
• Allocate project resources and sometimes access additional resources
• Create communication messages appropriate to objectives

 Examples of our strategy work:

•  Eastern Forests:  A coalition of organizations concerned with forest conservation along the east coast of the United States asked GreenInfo Network to prepare a map showing the lands of concern. The map would be used to educate decision-makers about the need for policy and funding responses to the loss of forests. We began by assembling data for more than 20 states and preparing several general base maps of the region they initially were aiming at. As we refined and simplified this data, the coalition began to see that their beginning geography was in fact far too small. Eventually they broadened their efforts from just the Appalachians to much of the east coast. In a second round of revisions a year later, they broadened again to their final “turf”, in response to the GIS data presented to them.

A second round of strategy was developed in the course of actually designing the map poster. GreenInfo Network encouraged the coalition to use a more complex information graphic and to carefully frame the sequence of their political message in that graphic. After extensive back and forth about phrasing and the order of high-level messages, an outstanding poster was produced that has proven highly effective in meetings with congressional representatives and as a tool for use by coalition members. The process of creating a map became an essential step in organizational development and strategy.

• Marine Area Conservation: The Ocean Conservancy and NRDC have been leading a campaign to protect key stretches of California's coastline, under special legislation. The issues involve the degree of protection which will be extended to near shore waters - whether extensive fishing will be allowed is a key element of this choice. The pro-conservation coalition in this effort has worked with GreenInfo Network to better depict the choices to be presented to decision makers, and to provide solid communication to the many citizens and groups at a local level. GreenInfo has helped develop mapping and other communication approaches to this need, as illustrated below.

Final poster above;

below, early studies of project area: