City votes to switch GIS data hosting to county
Move would mean better, more timely data integration
By Kelly McKinney
Richmondindepth@gmail.com
During construction of the Grey Oaks subdivision in Richmond, a worker fell off a roof. When he called 911 for help, the dispatcher had no idea where he was.
The address had not yet been incorporated into the 911 database.
This is one example of the problems that have been faced with the current system of Richmond submitting its Geographic Information System (GIS) data quarterly to Madison County to update the city’s roads and addresses within the county’s GIS database.
Now, the City of Richmond has voted to utilize the county as the host for its GIS data.
If approved by the Madison County Fiscal Court, the change will mean the city’s geographic data will be updated regularly rather than quarterly, and that the county can ensure that the data is accurate.
“We control the door that opens, to allow them to put in (the data),” Madison County Judge-Executive Reagan Taylor said.
Richmond officials will still create the date, but the data will now be hosted at the county, which maintains its servers at the Emergency Operations Center. No equipment or personnel will be relocated from the city to the county.
Contrary to some inaccurate information posted on social media, residents will not pay a tax or fee because of the change. The City of Richmond will save money by utilizing the county as host rather than upgrading its software and hosting the data itself, according to information presented at the board of commissioners’ Jan. 28 meeting. The cost to continue hosting its data would include $30,000 for software upgrades and a $15,000 annual license fee. Under the proposal with the county, the city will pay start-up costs of $2,200 and an annual fee of $6,000.
City Commissioner Mendi Goble posted on social media that the move’s goal is improved service.
“Madison County and the City of Richmond are working together to ensure GIS services remain efficient and effective for all residents,” she posted. “This is a collaborative effort to improve services—not a takeover or merger.”
Many county and city departments rely on the GIS data, with probably the most vital being 911 dispatch.
Madison County Deputy Judge-Executive Jill Williams said accuracy is vital to public safety.
If it isn’t accurate, (emergency services) aren’t going to come,” she said. “Or they’re not going to come to the correct location.”
Other users of the GIS data include law enforcement, planning and zoning, and utility companies.
“It touches every facet of government,” Madison County Chief Information Officer Chris Iseral said.
In addition to more timely updates, the change will also allow county officials to better ensure the city and county data match, Iseral said.
The information in the GIS system is in layers. If the city’s data does not match the county’s data, there is a discrepancy in that location that could lead to a range of problems.
One example is voting precincts. A voter who lives in the city could be counted as being just outside the city limits and not be given a ballot to vote on city commission candidates, for example.
“The meticulousness of the data is important,” Iseral said.
All emergency medical services vehicles in the county operate on the GIS information in the CAD system and have turn-by-turn navigation. It’s critical those directions are correct.
“It’s a life-and-death thing in most instances,” Iseral said.
Taylor agreed that having the best information for 911 to use is of paramount importance.
“We want first responders to get to citizens,” he said.
Taylor said the county serving as host will make it easier for county employees to maintain the GIS database.
“We have a lot of labor involved in making sure the City of Richmond information is correct,” he said.
The effort to collaborate on GIS data with the cities of Richmond and Berea began in about 2003, Taylor said. The effort stalled at that time.
The Richmond Board of Commissioners voted unanimously at its Jan. 28 meeting to approve the change. The Madison County Fiscal Court has scheduled a presentation on the topic for its meeting Tuesday, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at 304 Chestnut St. in Berea.
