IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The GeoPortal is a Web-based, interactive catalog of geographic information that provides government, businesses and citizens with direct access to the state’s geographic data, which they can search and use to make informed decisions about where to locate their businesses, where to live, and what schools in various areas are like.

Now the California Technology Agency (CTA) is hoping to encourage even more families and businesses to relocate, not with burly moving men and 18-wheelers, but with a powerful combination of mobile apps and geospatial data.

The county purchased eight high-resolution 3-D photos of its entire roadway system, encompassing 1,100 square miles and approximately 2,500 streets. County staff combined the images with existing GIS data to form virtual maps that can be used for planning projects, code enforcement issues and emergency situations.

The 3-D images were created using an elaborate camera system and software package called the Mars Collection System. The suite was developed by earthmine, a mobile mapping technology provider located in Berkeley, Calif.

Such is the case for Douglas County, Neb., which is using a cloud solution to test and run GIS applications. The county, whose boundaries include Omaha, has been a longtime user of solutions from Esri, the Redlands, Calif.-based company that specializes in geographic software and services. In 2010, the county put those GIS applications into the Amazon Web Services platform after the county decided it was time for a hardware upgrade, said Mike Schonlau, the county’s GIS coordinator.

GIS mapping technology plays a crucial role in helping public-sector employees identify hard-hit areas. Russ Johnson, Esri’s director of global public safety, answered Government Technology’s questions about how GIS technology affects disaster relief in crises like Sandy, and how it may evolve in the future.

Question: What is full next-generation 911?

Answer: Having a robust GIS solution so that you can graphically control your boundaries and the different things you need to control for 911 call routing. It’s having calls delivered in via Internet Protocol (IP); it’s having that IP network delivering those calls get as close as it can to what the vision of i3 [a technical standards document crafted by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA)] is through NENA.

GSA recently entered into an agreement with the Agriculture and Interior departments as well as the Environmental Protection Agency to move geospatial data from the geodata.gov portal into data.gov, said David McClure, associate administrator with GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies.

September is National Preparedness Month, and given the September we have been having with back-to-back hurricanes and raging wildfires, this designation is especially timely. Although hurricane season begins in June and peak wildfire season is typically early July, September is often an apex in the disaster realm. While technology can’t prevent natural disasters, it builds powerful preparedness and response tools; in particular, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), commonly referred to as “mapping,” creates critical tools that provide a vital function for preparedness. Any community can increase their preparedness by following a few simple steps before a disaster comes calling.

3-D modeling and DIY mapping tools are giving cities new ways to market their economic viability to prospective businesses.

Cities are looking for a competitive advantage with other municipalities to attract new business and grow their revenue base. They have to aggressively market and sell to targeted business prospects in order to survive and prosper. Such a strategy requires a well thought-out, innovative approach that showcases a city’s unique strengths. GIS technology lends itself perfectly to this need. It provides crucial information in a map-based format that’s easily understood, and that businesses will find invaluable in helping them make informed decisions.

The free tool — known as SAVI — helps Indiana hospitals link health indicator data to historical data on social economic conditions that can impact a person's health.

A health partnership in Indiana is urging hospitals and public health departments to use a free spatial data analytics tool to better assess and improve community health.

County Auditor Bob Wichlinski leads the team of elected officials whose goal is to provide an online environment in which Porter County taxpayers can find information regarding their property through the county’s Geographic Information System, or GIS, featured on the county website.

After the County Council put up the money for a total quality management plan in March, Wichlinski and his GIS Department set out to add more layers to the GIS.

Hurricane season is well in progress, and won’t wrap up until the end of November. And in looking back at last hurricane season, when Sandy rocked the East Coast, hundreds of lives were lost and countless people were displaced from their homes. But that's not all that was affected -- so was our energy infrastructure.

The state's new GIS data website offers an easier and more attractive entry point to geographical information, and a mix of visualization tools and service information.

The state of Colorado, which launched its own open data portal nearly five years ago, is expanding its range of available GIS data with the March 6 debut of its new GIS website and data explorer.

Large-scale applications, meanwhile, typically have remained as off-the-shelf products bought from vendors. Since open source is written by a vast community of developers collaborating online — most of whom contribute for free — most agencies have feared being without the IT support they would need if functions underpinned by open source failed. But in places like the Pacific Northwest, that assumption is changing in a large way.

Philadelphia’s process for managing damaged fire hydrants was brought into the digital age late last year with a new reporting app. The city’s Fire Department now transfers data about the condition of hydrants from the new app through mobile data terminals (MDTs), cutting down on processing time and saving money.

"VCGI is excited to offer citizens the convenience of online registration for events, workshops, and trainings throughout the state," said Executive Director David Brotzman. “With just a few quick clicks from our website, citizens can select among a variety of events, register online, and pay securely over the web.”

ProPublica talked with David R. Maidment, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who has advised FEMA on flood mapping, about why the data behind modern maps is 10 times as accurate as the older data and why half of Texas still doesn't have up-to-date maps.

Beverly Hills also has needs that sometimes transcend the ordinary. Celebrities, politicians and dignitaries from around the globe demand that the city performs above and beyond when it comes to public safety. In addition, the city is nestled near Southern California mountains that are infamous for bursting into infernos. Add to that the fact of life that besets all of Southern California — the potential for catastrophic earthquakes — and it becomes clear that the goings-on behind the scenes in Beverly Hills can be anything but glamorous.

The faster, more efficient www.geodata.gov is an online tool for combining thousands of geospatial resources from federal, state, local, tribal and private sources. The portal enables decision-makers to access geospatial resources and respond more quickly during an emergency to protect lives, property and basic services. Geospatial One-Stop provides access to more than 72,000 federal, state and local government geospatial resources.