Goal:
To create an enterprise GIS capable of supporting the spatial
data needs of all departments.
Generalized, project-specific, and department-specific applications are
built by GIS personnel to create efficiencies in daily operations by all levels
of staff. Creating a sense of data and
project ownership have been keys to success with interested departments
participating in development. This
interaction enables data and projects to stay alive and become important pieces
in the overall analytical framework. Data
sharing between the city and county has been beneficial to both entities by
reducing data redundancy, improving data quality, and making the data pool much
larger. GIS software and access to a
passel of data on nearly all computers help personnel do their respective jobs
more effectively and better serve the citizens of
Business Problem
Solved:
Making GIS accessible throughout the organization was possible by using ArcReader and published maps. Visualization and ability to quickly create a map in ArcReader reduces confusion associated with many spatially-oriented situations. Point and click interaction with information related to features in published maps fulfills many needs short of analytical capability. Deployment options for GIS data are either local or network. Both options use combinations of shapefiles, personal and SDE geodatabases, and images (catalogs, mosaics, and scans) to put the same information at everyone’s fingertips.
Technology
Implemented:
Software and equipment in use includes: ArcGIS (ArcReader, ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo); ArcView 3.3; ArcSDE for SQL; ArcIMS; ArcPad; field GPS (sub-meter Leica, sub-centimeter Trimble, and sub-centimeter Ashtech); and a Trimble CORS.
Development Team Biography:
City of
Bryce Hirschman – GIS Coordinator
Micah Seybold – GIS Analyst, Public Works
Terrol Palmer – GIS Analyst, Utilities
David Guntert – GIS Planner, Planning
Renee Yocum – GIS Analyst, Planning
Rick Miller – GIS Director
Dennis Albers – GIS System Administrator
Lars Larson – GIS Technician
How does your
organization use GIS?
Used by departments throughout the City and County, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provides a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing activity or events on a range of topics from infrastructure inventory and maintenance to citizen notification and many things between. GIS is used daily by most departments for activities that include zoning identification for a property; finding addresses for various purposes; scheduling maintenance for sewers; rerouting traffic for street maintenance; identifying voting locations for new residents; viewing aerial photography and topography; and accessing scanned images of plats and plans associated with developments.
How has GIS helped your organization improve service to customers?
GIS is a technical tool that can go unrecognized in our daily operation. Most people are unaware of the benefits they receive from GIS, but the importance of pulling together multiple pieces of information into one system provides analysis at a speed once impossible when recorded by hand.
If applicable, how has GIS helped you provide benefits to the local community?
City and county staff have been able to quickly and frequently produce maps and visual representations of proposals for elected officials, neighborhood associations, real estate professionals, and residents. The ability for these groups to view scanned images of proposals on top of existing data has led to in depth conversations, more engaged citizens and better understood projects. Maps of conceptual projects are powerful tools that have been made available to the many audiences served by both organizations. GIS is used for emergency operations and maps from GIS have been used after major storms for identifying property owners, assessing storm damage, and road closing during cleanup.
How long has the GIS been in place?
Both organizations began using GIS in the mid-1990s. The first several years were spent developing base layers and creating information flow for a good data foundation. Information sharing and exchange started in the late 1990s when the county switched to GIS software by ESRI.
What are the future plans for your organization’s use of GIS technology?
GIS within both organizations will turn more to the web for delivery of maps and data to citizens, as well as professionals conducting business with each organization. Internet applications and wireless technology will be used by field staff to capture real-time data and update the GIS.