Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Gis Mapping topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County GIS manager outlines 'Flow Forward' mapping plan to consolidate waterline data for planners and emergency management
Summary
The county's GIS manager proposed a 'Flow Forward' project to assemble waterline and address data in a secure system for decision‑making, emergency planning and economic development; staff will pursue data‑sharing MOUs with water boards and propose security safeguards to address utility concerns.
Brian Price, the county GIS manager, briefed commissioners on a proposed 'Flow Forward' program to compile waterline information into a secure, county‑managed GIS resource intended for four uses: county decision making, economic development presentations, emergency management planning and highway operations.
Price said the project would be phased and access would be restricted: "we are putting this together. It's in a lockbox. It's in an inside secure infrastructure... Only these 4 elements are... who's using this information," he said. Several water managers voiced security concerns about sharing infrastructure locations; staff proposed encrypted storage and an MOU that would formalize confidentiality and permissible uses.
Why it matters: Consolidated, current utility and address data can make the county more competitive for federal grants and improve emergency response by providing accurate maps and assigned addresses. Price noted that federal funding requests sometimes require low/moderate‑income data and that having that data available on maps was important for direct appropriations.
Next steps: Staff will continue outreach with water boards, prepare MOU language addressing security and limited access, and offer a small stakeholder working group (commission representative, EDC, EMA and highway) to refine the scope before wider outreach.
