County approves ViewShed mapping add-on for new CAD to improve responder dispatching

A county public-safety official asked commissioners to approve a purchase order for ViewShed to create a more detailed mapping layer for the county’s new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system.

The presenter said the new mapping layer will define responder boundaries more precisely than current 9-1-1 maps, allowing the CAD to populate which unit or agency should respond to a specific address in towns with split jurisdictions. The official said the configuration will reduce manual lookups at the dispatch console and should make dispatching faster and less error-prone when roads and jurisdictional boundaries overlap.

The staff member explained the service is an add-on for the county’s new CAD implementation and that towns with simple single-agency coverage will see less change, while towns with overlapping coverage zones will benefit most. A commissioner asked whether the feature would ultimately make response times quicker; the presenter said yes, because it removes the need for manual determination during the call.

The motion to approve the purchase authorization passed 3–0. The presenter later said the mapping work would cost about $3,000.

Staff said the new mapping layer will be driven by the CAD and incorporated into the county’s 9‑1‑1 mapping database; the procurement is intended to be an operational improvement to dispatch accuracy.