Feature Article November 6, 2002
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb HomeContact Us
The Information Age Comes to Municipal Services
The 911 process has been ongoing for several years in Central Frontenac Township, and while it is still up to a year away, the information gathered to set it up will soon be in use by various members of the township staff, hopefully saving significant amounts of time.
Jim Peden, of the Canadian Global Information Systems (CGIS), the company contracted to set up the municipalitys mapping and information system, reported to last weeks council meeting on the progress being made in finalising the townships data base. He also discussed what use this information will be to the townships planning and building departments.
Under the new digital mapping system, information about the creation of new lots, for example, can be instantly entered into the new system, and the township map, the tax collection information, and all other information collected by the township office about a new lot will be immediately available.
A member of the CGIS staff demonstrated how easy it will be for the planning department to notify all neighbours of a change of use being contemplated at a certain location. By highlighting the lot in question, typing in a radius, and asking for a list of addresses, the planning department can prepare a mailing in minutes. Planning department co-ordinator Cathy MacMunn said, this kind of thing can take up to two days, so I can see much benefit to this technology.
Information about planned and completed road work, building permits issued and projects completed, and a host of other services can be plotted on maps on an ongoing basis to give a current picture of the activity within the township.
The mapping system will also be used by the new 911 system once it is up and running. It will allow 911 operators to pinpoint locations even in cases where the caller does not know the civic number. A CGIS staff member at the council meeting, used a multimedia demonstration to show how, even if all the people know is the last name of the people who live where the call is taking place, an operator can use these maps to find out where they are calling from. The operator can type in the name and get a list of all the people in the township with that name and their location will also be highlighted on the map. The operator can then as questions. Is the location on road such and such? Pretty soon, the location can be identified.
What this system does, according Jim Peden, is give the local municipality the opportunity to maintain their own information locally; and any information that is of real value to municipalities is locally maintained information.
The information database for Central Frontenac is nearly completed. Jim Peden told council that it is currently about 90% accurate, and we are in the process of filling what we call data holes. Once the hole filling is done, the system can be put into use. Cathy MacMunn told The News later that three township staff, including herself, building inspector Ian Trickett, and technology coordinator Chris Mathewson, have already undergone training in using and updating the system.
Jim Peden compared maintaining the information system with owing a home. Youre all property owners, he told council, and you know that if you dont keep up the maintenance on your home, it will be worthless in 15 years. Its the same with information.
