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Counties, Cities Putting GIS Adoption on the Map

Geographic information system adoption has sped up in California, especially in city and county governments.

Geographic information system (GIS) adoption has sped up in California, especially in city and county governments.

“Data visualization is really what makes the GIS platform so attractive to these guys," said Tracie Wilson, national director of government solutions for Digital Map Products Inc. "You’re dealing with a lot folks that five years ago, ran around with a clipboard, and now they’re being tasked to go with a tablet. They’re having to learn technology to do their job.”

Having the software already available and running on that tablet makes things easier for government representatives, she told Techwire in an interview. 

“Visualization is the world we live in now. Not only can you use a tablet and the tablet knows where you’re standing, you can tie all of these very important data attributes. The GIS platform allows you, as a government entity, to put all that information in a location-based visual tool,” Wilson said, adding that her company works with more than a dozen state agencies. 

Some counties, such as Riverside, have begun incorporating the data from GIS into property tax systems.

The city of San Jose has several “projects that are improved or supported by GIS data or tools,” Matt Loesch, the city’s senior civil engineer, told Techwire in an email.

The city reviews U.S. Census addresses and incorporates GIS data into capital improvement projects. Maps of services and facilities available to residents are also based on GIS data.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) adopted the technology 25 years ago for “nearly all of its operational business areas,” said public information officer Angela Daprato.

“Caltrans invested in GIS licensing long ago and continues to utilize these licenses for multiple projects,” Daprato wrote to Techwire. They are “roughly $1,500 for a desktop license to $45,000 for a server/Web GIS license per GovOps CMAS pricing. The costs for utilizing GIS vary depending if the project is done using desktop, mobile or Web GIS tools as well as the size of the project.”

Caltrans uses the tool for transportation planning and project delivery, asset and environmental management as well as infrastructure inspections.

“Currently, Caltrans is using GIS technology as a collaboration platform to enhance open-data sharing with its state, local and federal business partners as well as the traveling public,” Daprato wrote.

Caltrans deployed an application after the passage of the Road Repair and Acountability Act of 2017 (SB1) that is based on GIS mapping. The app allows Californians to track where SB1 revenue is being spent.

“Visualizing data on a mapping platform effectively communicates the location of transportation assets, projects and events, such as identifying incidents or congestion versus a traditional spreadsheet or report format,” Daprato wrote.

Government entities can incorporate GIS into their decisions because it helps with data:

  • Currency — easily update information
  • Visualization — displaying the information spatially, whether or not an address is available, often used for deploying mobile services/homeless services
  • Integration — pull together data from many sources
  • Collection — minimizing the amount of fields to fill in during inspections, data gathering
  • Deployment — loading information once and updating in real time across multiple platforms
  • Collaboration — managing data across people and departments for large projects
  • Transparency — point-and-click publishing instantly makes information available to the public
Often, local jurisdictions use pre-built SaaS programs while the state uses streaming or APIs to “ingest data” into other platforms, Wilson said.

“Big data doesn’t have to be a big problem because a GIS platform allows you to bring it in and make it work for whatever it is you’re trying to do,” Wilson said.

Here are some GIS opportunities.

The city of Fairfield is updating its GIS system.

The city of Alhambra has a sewer project involving GIS.

Turlock is seeking a consultant for a GIS project.

Alameda County is developing an app.

Los Angeles has a sewer project developing.

Kayla Nick-Kearney was a staff writer for Techwire from March 2017 through January 2019.