Information & Technology Services: GIS for Cross-Departmental Collaboration

THE CHALLENGE

Geographic information systems, also known as GIS, are an invaluable tool that allows city governments to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, and present spatial or geographical data. In the early 2000s, the City of Bloomington was a national leader in using a GIS software called Genamap, paving the way for cities across the country to develop a GIS system. However, due to this early adoption, the IT department was hesitant to onboard a new platform as technology improved. As years passed, other platforms started to see more advancement while Genamap was going out of business. It was time for a change, but it would require a lot of heavy lifting to transition to a modern GIS system. When Meghan Blair stepped into the role of GIS Manager in November 2022, she made it her first priority to make a complete shift to the ESRI platform. 

 

“I felt it was time to utilize the capabilities of modern-day GIS software despite the heavy workload needed to do so.” - Meghan Blair 

 

The challenge presented itself: how would the GIS team build a new platform that allows City staff to access the tools of the legacy system, showcase new advancements in the ESRI platform, and provide an adaptable, intuitive, and long-lasting interface? How might this new tool unlock new possibilities for local government services?

 

THE IDEA

Meghan created a citywide site using the ArcGIS Portal platform, titled the City of Bloomington GIS Data Portal. This portal serves as the landing page for a wide range of data applications, including interactive maps, dashboards, and data collection apps. The City GIS team manages many different datasets for each department, whether it’s Bloomington Fire Department Fire Dispatch zones or public works sidewalk inventory; the portal houses a LOT of data. 

 

The GIS team wanted to provide data to users as intuitively as possible, so they created a Staff Viewer mode which allowed them to highlight datasets used most frequently for each department. Rather than use the kitchen sink approach and throw all the citywide data onto one map, the team created tailored, interactive maps for each user group. Once this approach was decided upon, the team knew these interactive maps needed to be housed in the same place. Thus, the City of Bloomington GIS Data Portal was born!

 

THE COST

The process of creating this solution started in November 2022 and was launched in March 2023. No additional funding was spent on this initiative since the tools were already in place, and the maintenance costs are covered by the City’s annual agreement with ESRI (averaging $35,000 a year). The GIS Data Portal requires low maintenance, but the applications do require time and attention to maintain.

 

“This project took planning, time, and dedication. The GIS team worked together to find solutions for each dataset and Staff Viewer. We had to pull ourselves from other projects to accomplish the task. We serve every City staff member and the amount of requests can be overwhelming at times… but we love our work and finding solutions is part of the fun!”

 

THE BENEFITS

The impact of implementing the GIS Data Portal has been extensive. For the first time, any city staff member can utilize GIS maps and data originally built for other departments for their projects, facilitating collaboration across departments. This level of  data sharing has spurred cross-departmental initiatives such as BFD accessing CBU fire hydrants; Public Works access to Parks Department’s tree inventory, and Engineering access to Public Works traffic signs. Staff members from different departments can view each other's Staff Viewers, allowing others to analyze data on their own. But that’s not all….

 

The inclusion of city datasets on the ESRI Portal allows the City to share data with vendors and the public and new partnerships have been forged with organizations such as Lucity (the asset management and work order system used by Public Works), Cityworks (the asset management and work order system used by CBU), FirstDue, and IMS – just to name a few!

 

“Had we not implemented this system, our users would still be accessing data in a retired GIS platform. The vendor of Genamap, Genasys, was no longer in business and could no longer provide technical support. At some point, we would have needed to make the switch to a modern GIS platform.”

 

The greatest benefit of the new GIS system is the ability to share data easily across departments, even on the fly during a meeting! The long term benefits will be witnessed after additional data analysis and collection is conducted. More eyes on the data means more minds working to analyze issues that will only benefit residents! 

 

New projects coming down the pipeline as a result of this innovation include:

• Pavement PCI (pavement condition index) scores on bus routes
• Missing sidewalks in TIF districts
• Annexation areas in Census Urbanized Zones
• Solar charging stations in areas of low-income
• Sanitation staff accessing the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development  (HAND) rental occupancy rates

 

New projects on the horizon include:

• Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Transportation projects toward environmental and social justice areas
• Invasive plant and wildlife corridor mapping

 

Metadata

City Department(s): Information & Technology Services

City Department Point(s) of Contact: Meghan Blair, GIS Manager blairm@bloomington.in.gov

Partner(s): Max Stier, Richard Creek

Type of Innovation: Process Improvement

Date Implemented: August 2022