Archived GIS Snippets
Published in 2008
A-C
Agribusiness Grows with Crop-Specific Maps
Crop-specific maps, created by combining survey data and satellite images, provide a literal lay of the land for farmers and agribusinesses such as seed and fertilizer companies. Crops grown in the U.S. Corn Belt and Mississippi River Delta areas are mapped extensively in the Cropland Data Layer now available to the public for download or on disc. The Cropland Data Layer is created by the United States Department of Agriculture/National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Geographic information system (GIS) software from ESRI is used to prepare the data and build the maps.
“We create resourceful maps to identify the spatial extent and associated acreage of the crops grown in these specific states,” said Rick Mueller, a GIS expert with NASS. “"GIS software from ESRI makes it possible.”
The colorful, informative maps are used by crop farm growers associations, crop insurance companies, seed and fertilizer companies, farm chemical companies, libraries, universities, federal and state governments, and value-added remote-sensing/GIS companies. The digital data layers of land-cover information have proved helpful in watershed and environmental monitoring, agribusiness planning, crop modeling, land-use/land-cover studies, and change analysis.
first published week of: 06/23/2008
Alabama Secures ESRI Enterprise License Agreement
The State of Alabama Information Services Division (ISD) has signed a three-year enterprise license agreement (ELA) with ESRI that will allow all state agencies to have unlimited deployments of ESRI geographic information system (GIS) software. Previously, only 29 agencies had access to ESRI GIS software, but through this agreement, more than 90 agencies will have immediate access to this critical technology. The recently formed Alabama Geospatial Office (ALGO), a department in ISD, will administer the ELA for the state.
“I am happy we could work out an agreement between the State of Alabama and ESRI,” said Jim Burns, CIO, Alabama ISD. “The enterprise-wide agreement will greatly enhance state agencies' ability to grow their suite of GIS applications.
“GIS software” he continued,“previously out of reach for most agencies, is now readily available due to the greatly reduced costs offered through the new agreement. I believe this is a win-win agreement for the state, as well as for ESRI, and we look forward to many years of working with ESRI in the development of a world-class GIS environment for the State of Alabama.”
For the State of Alabama, the benefits include the following:
- Equalizing GIS expenditures over the course of three years
- Reducing administrative and procurement costs
- Making it easier for multiple organizations to share Web services with each other and the public
“It is important for state governments to have access to the GIS technology they need to best serve the public,” said Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. “Geospatial data is tied to most state-level activities. Through this agreement, Alabama can provide all its state agencies with the GIS software they need to enhance productivity and improve efficiency across the enterprise. Additionally, the widespread implementation of GIS applications will allow for better decision support.”
first published week of: 02/11/2008
Alameda County Registrar of Voters Improves Election Processes with ESRI's GIS
The Registrar of Voters (ROV) of Alameda County, California, used ESRI's geographic information system (GIS) software to simplify precinct analysis and polling station siting processes during the 2008 election. The ROV's GIS-streamlined processes saved the department time, money, and labor hours and improved customer service. The public was able to visit a GIS-enabled Web site to see election results at the precinct level in real time.
“Making the switch to GIS saved us time,” said Tim Dupuis, chief technology officer (CTO), Alameda County. “In past elections, precinct consolidation took six election technicians up to three weeks to complete. With our new GIS, these tasks took three technicians from one to three days to complete.” Time savings from the new process allowed technicians to focus on better preparing and organizing equipment and supplies for polling stations.
Weston Solutions, an ESRI business partner, worked with the ROV to create an easy-to-use ArcIMS application for election technicians. As a result, each process done in preparation for an election is completed more efficiently. Rather than looking at a list of buildings available to serve as polling stations, election technicians accessed GIS to see buildings on a precinct basemap and determine how many voters each station could serve. They also used GIS to assign more than 4,000 volunteers to polling stations on Election Day.
first published week of: 12/01/2008
Alexandria, Virginia Buys additional GIS seats from GTG
The City of Alexandria, Virginia purchased 105 additional seats of LG Mobile Community Connect. LG Mobile Community Connect is a GIS software solution that allows LG users to integrate AVL with the LG Mobile software. LGMobile allows officers in the field to view critical GIS and 911 call data.
The software allows GPS enabled vehicles to be tracked via the GIS interface. It takes GPS data from vehicles and places a moving map symbol on the GIS map interface that corresponds to the vehicles location in the real world. Historical AVL information is maintained with the product.
“GTG is excited about our continued relationship with the City of Alexandria. We have worked alongside Alexandria staff for many years. Alexandria staff are very proactive and thoroughly tested the software and requested new functions that make the software better than ever. We look forward to continuing to enable their public safety staff to protect the community more efficiently and effectively,” said Curt Hinton, CEO of GTG.
first published week of: 06/16/2008
Allegheny County Earns APWA Accreditation
Azteca Systems, Inc. congratulates Allegheny County Public Works Department, recently accredited by the American Public Works Association. The first agency in Pennsylvania to earn accreditation, Allegheny County acknowledges Cityworks as making an important contribution to the attainment of this prestigious award.
“The implementation of Cityworks allows the County to make great strides towards complying with and exceeding national standards set forth by APWA” said Martin Demblowski, Information Systems Project Manager, Allegheny County Public Works Department. “With Cityworks as the hub of our process improvements, we’re now able to achieve goals set a long time ago. We’re pleased to have the application here in Allegheny County.”
The County Public Works Department uses Cityworks to record and track requests for service; issue and manage work orders; view assets, related work orders and Highway Occupancy Permits on a map; combine Public Works and Emergency Services data to analyze and evaluate critical information in emergencies; manage materials inventories; analyze work history, associated costs, tests and inspections; and prepare reports and schedules. In its commitment to continuous improvement, the County will incorporate applications such as video logging allowing for more efficient use of resources and dissemination of information to staff, officials and the public.
“We congratulate the efforts of Allegheny County’s Public Works team,” says Brian Haslam, President Azteca Systems. “Recognizing this accreditation is a truly significant achievement, we are proud Cityworks is helping the County reach such status while meeting day-to-day operations and maintenance goals.”
Allegheny County Public Works maintains 810 lane-miles of road, 520 bridges, and 12,000 acres of parkland and related facilities. It is also responsible for maintaining County buildings and ensures the safety and reliability of the County’s vehicles and heavy equipment. The APWA recognizes public works agencies that exceed national standards of performance in engineering, road repair and maintenance, building and parks maintenance and fleet management.
first published week of: 02/04/2008
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