|
Home > Departments > Engineering > GIS > History and Performance
|
|
| History |
Beginning in 1996 with the strong support of Mayor Richard K. Sullivan, JR. and the City Council a request for qualifications was developed and issued to address the system development. This support was both administrative in forming a GIS Steering Committee and financial with an overall system investment in excess of $1,000,000. The accruacy of the base mapping has facilitated engineering design and enhanced the departments productivity in its traditional services, see Annual Report, with the additional benefit of reduced infrastructure design service fees through outside consultants by an estimated 15% resulting in an anticipated payback period of only eight years. |
| Performance | GIS is a fantastic tool for answering questions geographically. GIS makes this possible by connecting digital data with digital mapping. The system has been in use at City Hall since April of 1999 and is, as of 2003, available to the public via the Internet. Please visit our GIS Web site. This site works best with Internet Explorer.
Daily operations at City hall have been enhanced through the click of of a button with applications as simple as pin pointing the location of a resident complaint or as complex as determining the effects of a proposed infrastructure improvement on the property values of abutters. Previously difficult questions, such as the location of a building with respect to property boundary, zoning, aquifer or flood plane could only be answered by cross referencing multiple paper documents stored in various locations and scales. Now these same questions can be answered instantaneously. |
| Goals - Permit Tracking | | As mentioned, the GIS links digital data with digital mapping. Unfortunately the limited availability of digital data is stifling the GIS. The Engineering Department is working in concert with the Planning and Building Departments to impliment a shared data base system known as Permit Tracking. The shared data aspect should reduce data entry time, standardize data, ensure accuracy and afford status checks from any user. Sharing will enhance the "common knowledge" of City Hall thereby expediting and coordinating permits all the while encouraging development of digital data. |
| Goals - Base Map Update | | It is essential the digital geographic (planimetric) base map be maintained and updated to reflect changes such as new roadway and housing construction. Although property line changes has been kept current, other base-map features are current to the date of the initial fly-over, April of 1997. Any road or building constructed after that date does not appear in the base-map unless added by hand. A recent estimate of the number of outstanding building structures is 1100, precluding input by hand. The most expedient and cost effective method of update is via another fly-over wherein changes in features can be identified and added. |
| Goals - Utilities | | It is the goal to reflect not only surface features on the GIS, but also sub-surface such as burried utilities. The Water Department has led the way in modeling their system on the GIS with great success in providing quick response to shut downs, assessment of bottle-necks, and establishment of routine maintenance. Similar efforts are desired for sanitary sewers and strom water drains as well as use by the Gas and Electric Department. |
|
|
|
|
