https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Smart Cities & Technology


Image via Unsplash

Article

The importance of GIS technology within a smart city framework

The importance of GIS technology within a smart city framework

  • Written by Michael Baker
  • 17th June 2020

Geographic information systems (GIS) have become a part of our daily lives. Anyone who’s flown, used a vehicle’s GPS, or given location permission to a smartphone app has firsthand experience with GIS technology.

Once just a tool for planners, architects, and infrastructure engineers, GIS is now more prevalent than ever across a broad spectrum of users. Agricultural producers with large farming operations rely on GIS technology to plant, harvest, and irrigate crops. Meteorologists depend on GIS to track and locate potentially damaging storms, while recovery teams use it to record damage and locations of impact.

When implemented as part of a larger smart city framework, GIS technology protects the safety and welfare of citizens while ensuring their ability to travel, work, and enjoy basic quality of life necessities.


Public safety: Speeding response & detecting threats

GIS technology is employed by citizens to help themselves, but it’s also used by first responders to help citizens. In-vehicle GPS devices provide direction to drivers and also help law enforcement locate lost or stolen vehicles. Crash detection systems offer a sense of safety to drivers, but also notify call centers and provide coordinates during an emergency.

GIS tech is a crucial component in most computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems, and one that will continue to evolve as more agencies implement Next Generation 911 technology. Depending on the capabilities of an agency’s GIS, first responders can gather a wealth of knowledge about a call before they arrive.

Spatial data and pinpoint mapping eliminate confusion over a call’s location and speeds response times. Capabilities like 3D modeling, combined with location-based searches of live video feeds from cameras near the scene, can provide complete situational awareness. These capabilities provide a visual preview of a dangerous situation or damaged building, which protects both responders and potential victims.

Whether in the public safety answering point (PSAP) or in the field, responders can use a GIS to assess the availability and location of field units. The same technology, when accessed on mobile devices, can enhance real-time decision-making and ensure the right amount of resources respond to the scene.

A GIS also enables a real-time analysis of events and incidents as they happen. This analysis, when combined with artificial intelligence, shows agencies how they can identify and intervene in disruptive events earlier, reducing the impacts to citizens and economies.


Transportation: Resolving disruptions & safeguarding commuters

No city or county can flourish without reliable transportation infrastructure. GIS technology plays a significant role in keeping people and products moving. Whether car, truck, bus, or train, the inability to move people and products is both inconvenient and costly.

GIS technology can mitigate disruptions because it enables the real-time monitoring of roads, rail lines, and tunnels. Sensors and alarms detect problems and alert control rooms, while cameras near the incident scene verify the incident or potential threat.

When an incident occurs, control room dispatchers – utilizing GPS positioning – can quickly identify the availability and location of emergency responders, engineers, surveyors, and heavy equipment operators. Linked smart boards and warning systems warn commuters about delays.

Rapid reality capture enables crash investigation teams to undertake surveys faster and effectively, allowing roads, rail lines, and tunnels to reopen sooner. This reduces circulation disruption and difficulties related to rescheduling buses or trains. It also reduces other impacts, like congestion, pollution, and secondary accidents.

How do these capabilities reflect a smart city approach? They provide a better understanding of disruptive events, faster restoration times, and minimal impacts when problems occur. The end result is greater reliability and increased confidence in infrastructure systems.


Utilities: Lighting the way with reliable service

Without power and telecommunications capabilities, public safety and transportation would be severely limited. Utilities and communications companies also use GIS technologies to expand their market footprint, determine vulnerabilities, improve customer service, and assure regulatory compliance.

Because utility and communications infrastructure are often buried, an analysis of maps with the locations of gas, fiber communications or power lines can prevent a deadly digging catastrophe. A GIS can also show important details related to public rights of way, easements, and private property ownership.

Mapping is an essential element when companies are designing new grids or expanding existing ones because they show where service is needed and if there’s a customer base to support it. Smarter system planning ensures a greater return on investment.

In terms of operations, GIS technology enables utilities and communications companies to monitor networks in real time. Knowing the location of existing assets can be just as important as planning for new ones because system outages aren’t uncommon.

More than just a nuisance, downtime of any length can be extremely costly. According to a Gartner survey, industries reported the cost of internet downtime to be $5,600 per minute, or more than $300,000 per hour.

With GIS technology, utilities and communications companies can detect system vulnerabilities and harden assets against common outage causes like weather, theft, and/or vandalism. In the event of multiple incidents, GPS and sensor technology can determine:

  • Specific outage locations
  • The number of available technicians near the outage
  • Real-time customer data from smart meters
  • The most effective sequence of jobs to restore service to as many customers as possible

Unsurprisingly, a combination of shorter outage times and transparency in regard to outage resolution can improve a utility company’s relationships with customers. Automated outage report systems, which link a customer’s phone number to an address, are an integral part of a utility company’s GIS.

To provide a reliable estimate of service restoration for customers, companies can conduct an analysis of previous outages and a job progress comparison. This analysis, when integrated with a customer relationship management solution, can send that estimate out to the affected customers, which improves customer service.

The concept of GIS technology seems simple, but its daily impact on the lives of citizens is anything but, making it a vital part of the journey to a smarter, safer city.

However, adopting a smart city philosophy is more than just procuring the latest hardware or software solutions. It’s about looking down the road and seeing what opportunities and threats lay ahead and taking steps to mitigate them. With GIS technology, the roadmap is already there.

 

Michael Baker joined Hexagon in December of 1991. He has held many roles, including application engineer, global product manager for all of Hexagon’s utility products, business development and senior consultant. He currently manages technical services for the U.S. Utilities and Communications Business Unit. Baker can be reached at [email protected] or 256-730-2000.

Tags: In-Depth Smart Cities & Technology In-Depth Article

Most Recent


  • Tech companies partner with Texas city to bring connectivity to five underserved communities
    A few years ago, the issue of equity in broadband access and connectivity was suddenly thrust to the forefront of public discourse when news of schoolchildren logging into remote classrooms from library parking lots and the local McDonald’s broke headlines. Since then, public and private organizations across the country have been working hard to make […]
  • broadband
    Funding fiber broadband: The path to growing communities
    The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) presents communities with the ability to build broadband infrastructure that has been shown to deliver substantial and long-lasting economic benefits by creating jobs and attracting businesses as well as improving the quality of life for the people who live there. Local leaders need to be proactive and engaged […]
  • CRM
    CRM beyond sales: How government CRM can improve citizen engagement and satisfaction
    Private companies know the value of customer relationship management and CRM workflows. For anyone new to CRM, it is a technology that helps companies manage relationships with current and potential customers. CRM systems help companies manage customer relationships throughout the entire customer life cycle, including sales, ecommerce, marketing and more. CRMs help organizations focus on […]
  • heat
    Taking on the heat with tech: Cities create chief heat officers
    Usually, my writing has focused on all things tech leadership in local government. And if the term “heat” was ever mentioned, it was directed towards either IT or the CIO. Given all the weather tragedies across the globe it is time we simply stop just talking about it and start doing something about it. This […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Today’s infrastructure needs greater than roads and bridges - It’s time to face our digital connectiveness

White papers


2000+ Government Customers Reveal a Roadmap to Fleet Management Success

17th August 2022

Modern American Perspectives on Law Enforcement

14th July 2022

Reimagine the Employee Experience

12th July 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Tech companies partner with Texas city to bring connectivity to five underserved communities dlvr.it/SWwRRH

19th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Staying safe in a hotter world dlvr.it/SWwRN0

19th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

A case for broadening remote work in the public sector dlvr.it/SWvpYt

19th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Funding fiber broadband: The path to growing communities dlvr.it/SWsW6f

18th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Traffic fatalities from motor vehicle accidents increased by 7% in the first quarter dlvr.it/SWsJFc

18th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Biden: Inflation Reduction Act represents ‘one of the most significant laws in our history’ dlvr.it/SWpMDZ

17th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

CRM beyond sales: How government CRM can improve citizen engagement and satisfaction dlvr.it/SWp9lg

17th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Taking on the heat with tech: Cities create chief heat officers dlvr.it/SWp77d

17th August 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X