GIS at the Regional District Amanda Spendiff Outline Introduction What is a Regional District? Our GIS department What does the GIS department do? Data management & mapping 9-1-1 fire/dispatch support 1
Introduction Who Am I? BSc Geography, UNBC (2007) Regional District of Fraser-Fort George (RDFFG) GIS Technician Application Specialist, 9-1-1 What is a Regional District? Local government in BC Provide services to rural communities Planning and land use Service areas Fire protection Environmental services Regional parks Solid waste management 2
4 municipalities 7 electoral areas Our GIS Department Part of the IT Department 4 people GIS Technicians x 2 Mapping & data management services for all departments Web maps Application Specialists, 9-1-1 x 2 Support fire department dispatch system All UNBC graduates ESRI ArcGIS 3
A GIS Background is Valuable Understand data Has lead to: Programming in Silverlight Report writing in SQL Server Database administration & records management system support Know the potential of using a GIS GIS at the RDFFG GIS provides services to all the other departments Learn a little about everybody else s job What data do they need? What does the data mean? How is it being used? Paper maps? Web map? 4
Data Management Cadastre layer Land parcel boundaries Base for other layers New bylaws or amendments E.g. zoning, service areas Streets & address points (9-1-1) Regularly download layers from the province (DataBC) Cadastre - i.e. Parcels Legal survey plan GIS 5
Map Production Map production has decreased Web maps Planners use ArcMap, can create simple maps Large and/or complex mapping projects Large printed maps Complicated symbology or labeling Unusual data required Emergency mapping time sensitive Queries & Analyses Population estimates Household distribution & density E.g. Locations for transfer stations Tax base/property value calculations E.g. New service areas Mailing Lists 6
Web Maps View & query our GIS layers Property information & regulations Print simple maps Internal web map Detailed information Simple tools e.g Buffer Generate mailing lists Public web map - RDGeo Simplified version of internal web map Web Maps Cont. Moving away from a single, do-all web map Working towards multiple simple maps that only have a single purpose E.g. a map that only lets you look up a property, a map to look up regional parks, etc. Make our maps available for mobile devices 7
Other Duties Provide GIS services to some of our member municipalities Update Corporate website Non-spatial databases BC Assessment database Fire department records management system 9-1-1 Fire Dispatch RDFFG provides 9-1-1 service Contract out call answer/dispatch services Fire/Rescue RDFFG works closely with fire/rescue agencies Police Ambulance Good 9-1-1 relies on good GIS data! 8
Path of a 9-1-1 Call Dial 9-1-1 Centralized call-taking and dispatching Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) E-Comm in Vancouver As of October 2014 Call-answer only Call-taker transfers call to appropriate agency POLICE - Prince George RCMP AMBULANCE - Kamloops BCAS FIRE/RESCUE Fire Operations Communications Centre (FOCC) Prince George Fire/Rescue Fire Hall 1 9
9-1-1 Service Area FOCC dispatches for 4 regional districts Fraser-Fort George Cariboo Bulkley-Nechako Kitimat-Stikine 78 fire/rescue agencies 2013 approx. 12700 calls (~35/day) 10
In the Old Days Dispatchers used a paper Road Index No map for visual aid can t see where the roads go! Difficult to update Takes time to flip through an index And Now CAD! Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) FDM Software Dispatcher enters: Address Type of incident Automates dispatch process, save time CAD zooms to the location on a map. 11
But the Road Index is Still Useful My computer monitor Road Index Road Index Model 12
CAD Map - Current CAD Map Future 13
How It Works In CAD: Areas divided into fire response zones What department responds How the department responds Zone is selected spatially based on incident location Once the zone is determined: CAD recommends best available trucks Dispatched by the dispatchers 14
Data Management: 9-1-1 Streets & Addresses Physical, not mailing Lines & points Fire Response Zones Polygons Municipalities & regional districts responsible for their own addressing Updates submitted to us as: Shapefiles Maps, lists Update our GIS for CAD 15
Attribute tables store critical address info: Street number, name, type, community, prefix, suffix, suite, street number range Attributes between address points & streets must match Each record has a unique ID number No duplicates allowed GIS validation tool for QA More QA All streets must be split at zone boundaries If not, you could get incorrect responses if an address is geocoded All streets must be split and snapped at intersections If not, CAD will provide incorrect cross-streets to the dispatchers 16
Import GIS Data into CAD GIS Improves the Dispatch System Dispatchers have a map for visual aid Info on surrounding area Provide directions to responding departments Some departments have access to map Mobile CAD Choose exact locations Database of address points Pick any XY location from the map Easier to update the data in CAD Less room for error 17
GIS and Fire Dispatch Support Fortunate to have GIS technicians directly supporting the fire dispatch system Able to manage our own GIS data Other organizations forced to use data supplied by province Timely data updates Robust QA Understand the data requirements for CAD Able to troubleshoot and correct data issues Data Sharing Effort into sharing and coordinating data with other organizations Integrated Cadastral Information Society (ICIS) Parcels, address points AddressBC Accessible to other ICIS members Digital Road Atlas (DRA) Streets BC Ambulance & RCMP CAD systems use DRA data Need to keep data current 18
Data Sharing Cont. Telus For 9-1-1 Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) ANI/ALI Display ANI = automatic number identification (i.e. phone number) ALI = automatic location identification (address display of caller) RDFFG submits address updates & changes to MSAG Conclusion GIS is a tool to use in any field Know the basics How to manage data How to make maps Programming & web development skills are an asset Web-based GIS 19
Resources RDFFG GIS website: http://www.rdffg.bc.ca/maps/online- Maps/RD-Geo/ RDGeo GIS data (shapefile, KML) PDF maps Questions? 20