If you look at what’s happening in government communications these days, one of the really hot buzzwords (buzz acronyms?) is GIS.

Obviously, you know what GIS stands for — geographic information systems — and how it works (or at least that it works) in your car unit or cell phone. But you might be surprised to discover that GIS technology is at the forefront of innovation that is making government more effective — and, hopefully, making your life a little better, as well.

For example, check out this article titled, How Your Cellphone Can Halt Ebola. It shows how GIS can be used to pinpoint where the Ebola cases are in developing nations like Guinea. Government field operators then can track where and how Ebola cases are spreading, and decide where the hospitals or human resources need to be to most effectively stop further contamination.

And that’s just one topical and attention-grabbing example of the myriad ways GIS technology can be applied, and is being applied, to government programs and initiatives.

In Kane County, GIS technology is being used effectively all over the place, geographically and metaphorically speaking. From the supervisor of assessments to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office to the Office of Emergency Management to the Kane County Division of Transportation to the KaneComm emergency dispatch unit, there are practical applications that are — and this really isn’t hyperbole — revolutionizing the way local government works.

You can find out more about GIS’ local applications at Kane County’s GIS DAY Open House event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at the Kane County Government Center auditorium in Building A.

The county’s open house piggy backs on the GISDAY worldwide event being held Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Here are some of the departments and some of the applications Kane County will showcase at the Nov. 20 GIS open house event:

GIS-Technologies

• KaneGIS64  — desktop application.
• KaneCADr10 — an enterprise web-based intranet application.
• KaneGIS Online Maps — KaneGIS Map Gallery applications.  Web and mobile applications free to the public.

Supervisor of Assessments

• BOR Sales — Web and mobile applications free to the public displaying sales information.

KDOT

• AVL Tracker – Restricted site that allows the transportation department to track their snow plows

Development Department

• Historical Forest map.
• Possible Exclusionary Areas Regarding the Production and Sale of Medicinal Marijuana in Unincorporated Kane County.

Emergency Management

• OEM Collector App – Restricted Damage Assessments application used for data collection.

Sheriff’s Office

• OD Collector App – Restricted  Heroin Overdose application used for data collection.
• Incident Tracker –  Restricted Web-based application used to keep track of Incidents in the county.

KaneComm Department

• Real Time calls – Restricted site

Sidwell Company

• Commercial vendor will showcase Parcel Builder program.

Read More

Government Case Studies

1. Creating a Common Operating Picture: US Army Geospatial Center
2. Improving Business Functions With Limited Resources: US Coast Guard
3. Unlocking the Meaning Behind the Data: US Postal Service
4. Increasing Collaboration & Participation With GIS: State of Maryland