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Updated GIS Technology Implemented in Warren
County, Virginia
GIS
“I cannot say enough good things about GeoComm. Every GeoComm employee I have had the
pleasure of working with is helpful and professional. They have gone out of their way to make
sure that my experience learning the mapping process has gone well.”
– Diann Williams, 9-1-1 Coordinator, Garvin County, Oklahoma
– Diann Williams, 9-1-1 Coordinator, Garvin County, Oklahoma
An historic old Commonwealth of Virginia, and site of the Civil War battle of
Front Royal, Warren County was using out-dated GIS technology in their
9-1-1 emergency call center and regularly completed a labor-intensive and
cumbersome map data update process to move current GIS data to their
dispatch mapping system in the 9-1-1 emergency call center. The county
was also ready to take over the maintenance of their GIS data and needed a
solution to ensure that their data maintenance was streamlined and
accurate.
The county proactively issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to obtain both a GIS data management tool that was compatible with Esri ArcGIS and a GIS dispatch system on current Esri technology: geodatabase. And a system that provides a smooth process for propagating GIS updates from the GIS department to the 9-1-1 emergency call center.
Warren County officials understand quality GIS data is an essential component of any successful 9-1-1 system. Responding to an emergency call is all about location and getting to the location of the emergency call faster. Current GIS data is key to fast emergency response.
Warren County chose to implement solutions from the GeoLynx Family of Products to meet their needs: GeoLynx Desktop for dispatch GIS solution on the Esri ArcGIS platform accepting geodatabase, GeoLynx Sync to propagate the updated GIS data out to each telecommunicator position using GeoLynx Desktop, and GeoLynx DMS to manage the GIS data using ArcGIS technology with specific use for public safety data management including: address assignment, road range assignment, and map book creation.
This software implementation project began with a GIS data analysis comparing the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG), Automatic Location Information (ALI) database, and GIS data to one another and then examining each individually. The analysis identified potential problems with the county’s MSAG and Emergency Service Zone layer. Accuracy and synchronization amount these databases increase the frequency and accuracy of locating a 9-1-1 caller on the GIS in the 9-1-1 emergency call center.
Once the data analysis was completed, GeoComm implemented GeoLynx Desktop, GeoLynx Sync, and GeoLynx DMS to meet the needs of Warren County. Implementation included on-site training and acceptance testing.
In the future, Warren County hopes to use GeoLynx DMS for creating hard copy map books for their fire and rescue departments. Atlas creation was previously outsourced to a third party vendor, but county officials are hoping that ArcGIS 10.0 and GeoLynx DMS will give them the ability to create the data driven maps. To get them started with their own atlas generation, GeoComm provided Warren County with one hard copy atlas and an atlas template to use as a starting point so they could enhance and update it as they saw fit. The atlas sample included numerous pages showing named and addressed roads in the unincorporated areas of Warren County, as well as within the corporate boundaries of each municipality. It also included one county township map along with enlargements of each community. Finally, a street index was generated and included in the sample atlas.
“Our GeoLynx DMS trainer was very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Our training session was very informative. GeoLynx DMS has been very easy to use compared to the other software, so it does not take up nearly as much of my time.” Eric Patton, GIS Coordinator, Warren County, Virginia
Warren County is relieved that any issues that were present in their map data have been identified and corrected. They are confident that the tools they have in place will better aid them in 9-1-1 situations, and help them to better manage their GIS map data.
The county proactively issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to obtain both a GIS data management tool that was compatible with Esri ArcGIS and a GIS dispatch system on current Esri technology: geodatabase. And a system that provides a smooth process for propagating GIS updates from the GIS department to the 9-1-1 emergency call center.
Warren County officials understand quality GIS data is an essential component of any successful 9-1-1 system. Responding to an emergency call is all about location and getting to the location of the emergency call faster. Current GIS data is key to fast emergency response.
Warren County chose to implement solutions from the GeoLynx Family of Products to meet their needs: GeoLynx Desktop for dispatch GIS solution on the Esri ArcGIS platform accepting geodatabase, GeoLynx Sync to propagate the updated GIS data out to each telecommunicator position using GeoLynx Desktop, and GeoLynx DMS to manage the GIS data using ArcGIS technology with specific use for public safety data management including: address assignment, road range assignment, and map book creation.
This software implementation project began with a GIS data analysis comparing the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG), Automatic Location Information (ALI) database, and GIS data to one another and then examining each individually. The analysis identified potential problems with the county’s MSAG and Emergency Service Zone layer. Accuracy and synchronization amount these databases increase the frequency and accuracy of locating a 9-1-1 caller on the GIS in the 9-1-1 emergency call center.
Once the data analysis was completed, GeoComm implemented GeoLynx Desktop, GeoLynx Sync, and GeoLynx DMS to meet the needs of Warren County. Implementation included on-site training and acceptance testing.
In the future, Warren County hopes to use GeoLynx DMS for creating hard copy map books for their fire and rescue departments. Atlas creation was previously outsourced to a third party vendor, but county officials are hoping that ArcGIS 10.0 and GeoLynx DMS will give them the ability to create the data driven maps. To get them started with their own atlas generation, GeoComm provided Warren County with one hard copy atlas and an atlas template to use as a starting point so they could enhance and update it as they saw fit. The atlas sample included numerous pages showing named and addressed roads in the unincorporated areas of Warren County, as well as within the corporate boundaries of each municipality. It also included one county township map along with enlargements of each community. Finally, a street index was generated and included in the sample atlas.
“Our GeoLynx DMS trainer was very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Our training session was very informative. GeoLynx DMS has been very easy to use compared to the other software, so it does not take up nearly as much of my time.” Eric Patton, GIS Coordinator, Warren County, Virginia
Warren County is relieved that any issues that were present in their map data have been identified and corrected. They are confident that the tools they have in place will better aid them in 9-1-1 situations, and help them to better manage their GIS map data.
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