County Executive Katheryn Shields formed the county's GIS Department in February and ap pointed Steve Marsh as director. Marsh went immediately to work purchasing and setting up a new computerized GIS system that is compatible with other local governments. The data that will fill the system are currently being revamped. New aerial photography of the entire county has been in production since March and should be completed by Decem ber. Due to upgrades in technology, the new photos are of a much higher quality than the photos taken in 1993. This will enable the department to get rid of many of the alignment problems that plagued the previous information.
All of the information being compiled by the GIS Department will be used to create computerized maps than can show several layers of information, such as topography, roads needing repair, property lines, school district boundaries, water systems and anything else people might want to know. All of the information is to be available on the Internet.
The new GIS system is just one aspect of the county's efforts to improve its offerings on the county Web site, www.jacksongov.org. The Web site already offers 1.4 million land records, 650,000 tax records, plat records dating back to 1835, food and restaurant inspection reports and hundreds of other pages filled with information about the county.
To make sure the county is providing all the information and services that city officials and citizens want, the Jackson County Electronic Government Steering Committee has been conducting hearings to gather input form the public.
"We want you to know where we're going and what we're thinking about doing, but we also want to find out from all of you if we're going in the right direction," Shields told citizens Tuesday at Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center in Kansas City. "We want to provide all the cities in Jackson County with the best information and services as possible, because that leads to better serving the citizens of Jackson County."
Ken Evans, communications director and e-government coordinator for the county, said most cities in the county are already well on their way toward developing their own e-government services. He wants to make sure everyone is working together so a capable system is built.
"This is about more than just providing a Web site. We want to provide a service that helps to connect citizens to their government better. This is about improving performance and productivity for the citizens," Evans said.
He said the county is not planning to experiment with un proven systems. It will only implement systems which have been used successfully by other governments around the nation, and then only after extensive testing locally.
Public Works Director J.D. Stokes, chairman of the e-steering committee, said everyone is aware that computers, the Internet, cell phones and other tools have been helping to better serve our world every day.
"The real trick, though, is how you link it all this new technology together so that cities, counties, the state and even the federal government can all work together. To provide better service to citizens, we have to have more efficiency," Stokes said. "We also have to remember that what's behind all the technology is still people, paper and the things we've always done."
Evans said county officials have no plans to eliminate the face-to-face interaction at service counters. They just want to enhance that service and add another option for citizens to communicate with their government.
Quelle: Blue Springs Examiner
