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Vendor and municipal groups back school-mapping grant but urge state standards and local data ownership
Summary
A bill to create a school-mapping data grant program won support from GEO-COM and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, which recommended using the state GIS office to set mapping standards, preserving school ownership of map data and avoiding mandatory third‑party validation that could increase costs and reduce interoperability.
A school-mapping data grant program (SB 13 82) drew support from mapping vendors and the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities on March 4, but both urged changes to ensure interoperability, local control and cost effectiveness.
Kevin O’Connell of GEOCOM told the committee that geographic information systems (GIS) can speed emergency response in schools by giving first responders accurate interior and exterior maps, parking and door-numbering conventions and standardized location references. GEOCOM recommended that the state GIS office within the Office of Policy and Management help write mapping standards and that the bill avoid requiring an outside vendor to validate data after the first map iteration.
“Facilities and safety personnel are the local experts of the data and should be empowered to validate the data themselves,” O’Connell testified, warning that a mandatory third‑party validation requirement “can artificially increase the cost of producing these maps.” He also urged that schools retain ownership of mapping data so districts can switch vendors or reuse maps without lock‑in.
The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities endorsed a school-mapping grant program and said local governments support interoperable standards and state assistance. CCM and vendors recommended that the Division of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications, the state GIS office, the Department of Education and local emergency responders be included in standards development.
The committee asked for technical revisions to ensure interoperability with public‑safety dispatch systems and for drafting changes so local facilities, not a single contractor, can play a primary role in data validation. Lawmakers pressed for clarity on grant terms and data ownership before advancing the bill.
