Archive for Government

Highlights from CalGIS: Web, Mobile, Cloud & More

April 24, 2012 Annie Schwab, Vice President, Marketing No comments

A few weeks ago the Digital Map Products Team traveled to Sacramento, CA for the annual CalGIS conference. CalGIS is organized by the fine folks from the California URISA chapter. The conference included GIS professionals from local, state and federal government, consultants, product vendors, and service providers.

This year we were pleased to see that the majority of talks focused on web-based mapping, open source GIS, and improving access to geospatial data through mobile devices – all favorite topics of ours and a testament to the massive evolution GIS has recently undergone. Not long ago this conference was heavily focused on the utilization of desktop GIS tools including new functions and features. You could certainly feel the energy around the new and evolving geospatial tools at the conference that were leveraging the Web, Cloud and Mobile.

One presentation that particularly impressed us was given by Scott Gregory, California Government Information Officer, about the new state-wide portal for geospatial data. Scott’s vision revolves around improving access and generating further awareness about the new datasets. This initiative is especially exciting for us because DMP is providing the state-wide parcel database and tax assessor attributes which form the foundation for the new data portal.

Another highlight of CalGIS for DMP was sharing our knowledge of web mapping through an IGNITE presentation. We discussed how online maps can help local governments improve their communications with citizens and meet Google Era information access and transparency expectations. The biggest challenge of the session was fitting all our tips into a lightning fast 5 minutes! It really forced us to focus on the most critical points which we’re sharing with you below:

  • Changing expectations are forcing cities to re-asses their current offerings, citizens want to self-serve 24/7
  • Internet & social media are transforming the way city government interacts w/ citizens
  • The cloud provides a cost-effective, scalable & easier –to-use resource for cities to increase constituent engagement
  • Progressive cities are leveraging interactive maps and web 2.0 technologies to engage citizens & help them self-service their requests

Learn more about best practices for publishing city, property and community information to citizens & how cities can get started with web 2.0 & interactive mapping:

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Cities Satisfy Residents, Save Money with GIS in the Cloud

August 17, 2011 Christina Coggins, Marketing Manager 2 comments

Cities have long been on the forefront of using spatial technology to share data with their citizens and help their staff do their jobs more effectively. Longview, Washington, a town of 35,000 located between Seattle and Portland, is one great example of such spatially savvy cities. Longview is also on the cutting edge of using cloud-based technology in new and innovative ways.

Longview’s city staff works hard to foster a strong sense of community engagement. For years, citizens had been asking for city and community data to be available in an interactive format online. Many cities feel this same demand: in the Google era, citizens want to be able to find their own answers to questions 24 hours a day. But, like many cities of its size, Longview didn’t have the budget, manpower, or time to build a custom interactive GIS interface. They turned to Digital Map Products’ CityGIS™ and CommunityView™ for a software-as-a-service solution that was both faster and less expensive than building it themselves.

Now residents of Longview can go to the city’s website to see property and community information. Using the city’s CommunityView™ powered online maps, residents can:

  • Get detailed information about the city’s facilities and parks
  • Find their garbage and recycling collection dates
  • Look up water and sewer utility data
  • See bike routes and trails on a map
  • Get zoning and property information
  • Research public school locations and statistics
  • Access information about bus stops, bus routes, and ADA cutout ramps

The results for Longview have been impressive. City staff receives fewer phone calls and walk-in requests for information. There is an increased awareness of city services and community amenities. Residents can find information any time day or night. And an added bonus for the city was that it actually saved money with the system, an important benefit in this tight economy.

If your city is doing innovative things with spatial technology and cloud computing, we’d love to hear about them and share those ideas with our readers.

To learn more about DMP’s local government solutions visit:

http://www.digmap.com/Campaigns/CloudGISHelpsCities.html

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