State geospatial director praises Cumberland County for NextGen 9-1-1 data work

Scott Drzyga, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Geospatial Coordinating Board, recognized Cumberland County commissioners at their May 29 meeting for the county’s work to provide state-standard geospatial 9-1-1 data. Drzyga told the commissioners that all 67 Pennsylvania counties are now onboarded to the Commonwealth’s NextGen 9-1-1 geospatial system and called that “a huge accomplishment.”

The recognition came during the meeting’s public-comment period. Drzyga said county Geographic Information Systems staff, named in his remarks as Justin Smith and Michael Mulford, helped make the county “a safer place to live, work, and play” by sharing accurate GIS data with Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and adopting the statewide data standard. He said the NextGen system enables emergency services to route help to a caller’s geographic location regardless of device type.

Commissioners responded by thanking the county GIS team and offering to set up follow-up briefings. Commissioner Fauci said the county’s work is “a model of success.” Commissioner Nieder invited Drzyga to meet with staff and suggested coordinating at a future County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) event.

Drzyga urged that lessons from the NextGen 9-1-1 modernization be applied to other mapping efforts and cited the county’s rapid growth as a reason to build a persistent “digital twin” for local and state government services. He offered to meet with county staff or to present at a CCAP conference.

The public comment did not request any county action beyond the offer of additional meetings and information-sharing.