NANAIMO – The City of Nanaimo’s Geographic Information System (GIS) recently took a notable step forward following a presentation to Council detailing the future development of this important City service.
GIS technology has been used by the City since the 1990s to visualize, analyze and interpret data involving relationships, patterns and trends from geographic information collected over the course of a day, week, month or year.
City services and projects, including critical functions like dispatch of emergency services, the approval of development applications and the evaluation of infrastructure, all benefit from the operation of and investment in effective GIS.
The implementation of the new GIS Technology Plan recommendations including the appointment of an enterprise-wide GIS program leader, establishing a GIS training, education and knowledge transfer program as well as upgrading the City GIS spatial data infrastructure will result in improved usage and management of geographic information at the City.
The plan was created using a phased approach that included a needs assessment across all departments, recommendations on how to improve the current service and the creation of five-year business and strategic plans.