Advisory committee reviews mapping platform, submission rules and deadlines for Orange County redistricting

Orange County’s Mid Decennial Redistricting Advisory Committee on March 12 reviewed the mapping tools and submission procedures the county will use as it redraws commission districts from six to eight.

County GIS staff said ArcBridge set up the Dave’s Redistricting application as the platform committee members and the public will use to draw plans, and explained account setup, publishing, exporting shapefiles and the map-submittal form the county will require. Pete Johnstone, who described himself as working in Orange County’s GIS section, said, “In order to make a plan, you have to sign up for an account that will require an e‑mail and password. Then you’ll have to agree to their terms.”

The vendor will analyze submitted maps for things such as maximum population deviation and communities of interest and provide a report to the committee; the vendor will not alter submitted plans, Johnstone said. County staff asked submitters to include a map name, a shapefile export and a submission form so vendor and legal review can proceed. The…