Non-Emergency Information Management Applications

PlanGraphics has vast experience in giving local governments and other clients the real-world benefits of GIS technologies. Applications are diverse, ranging from Web-enabled constituent support applications (sometimes grouped under the term "e-government") to decision support tools and methods for environmental compliance.

Constituent support applications use dedicated Web sites to give citizens access to a wide variety of information about government services, facilities, and infrastructure. In this area of current innovation, several types of systems are emerging:

• "311" systems are a conduit for citizens to request or obtain information about non-emergency government services—anything from inquiries about office hours to bus schedules to reporting non-emergency police matters.
• Public information systems like the "My Neighborhood" applications PlanGraphics has deployed for several clients. When the "My Neighborhood Statistics" application was unveiled in New York City in September, 2002, the application received over 400,000 hits in the first 24 hours. The application maps performance statistics from the Fiscal 2002 Mayor's Management Report by neighborhood using a street address or intersection.

Environmental management applications of GIS were historically among the first to be widely adopted. Because the information needed for environmental studies is location-specific, GIS technology is an integral part of

• hydrology and hydraulic analysis
• endangered species surveys
• water- and air-quality monitoring
• wetlands delineation
• dam and floodplain studies
• safety and noise control engineering
• recreation planning.

Over the last 24 years, PlanGraphics has provided GIS support to government, utility, and commercial organizations in the preparation of environmental assessment, impact statements, development plans, and permitting submittals.

The term "decision-support system" has probably suffered from overuse, but it is still a useful catch-phrase for the tools and technologies that provide enterprise access to data that allows planners and executives to make informed decisions while planning, implementing, and evaluating a wide range of programs and initiatives. With its capabilities for modeling alternatives and "what-if" scenarios utilizing spatial data, GIS has for many years been a key technology for effective decision-support systems.

PlanGraphics has the special skills needed to assess decision-support system needs and to then develop the necessary capabilities and capacity within our clients' organizations.