ArcGIS Applications
 Moreno Valley's GIS includes the ability to look up a property by the assessor parcel number, address, or property owner as well as generate notification mailings, view buffer maps, and print full property records. |
An important GIS application involved an impact study for a proposed hiking trail project. The city needed to decide whether the proposed multiuse trails project was a worthy endeavor. The GIS Department collected data from different sources including paper maps, on-the-fly digitizing of aerial photos, GPS mapping, input from a trails committee, and other public sources. GIS analysis was performed by evaluating a number of different variables including impact on funding, integration into existing trails, and more. Trails were mapped using aerial images, some were mapped in the field, and some were already stored in digital format and input into ArcGIS.
"Once the data was in GIS, then calculations became a snap," says Heslin. "We could calculate linear feet for any type of trail, calculate how much a trail would cost, determine which properties it would cross, and more. It essentially saved several hundred hours of manually mapping trails and performing analysis."
Collaborative efforts were made with other municipalities. The cities of Riverside and Corona, both also within Riverside County, got together with Moreno Valley and shared land use, planning, zoning, parks, and other information for a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) project to get a better understanding of trails and their interconnection between these cities.
"We've learned a lot from other government agencies, both larger and smaller than we are, that have done similar things and have important lessons to share," says Heslin. "There's a great user community out there to learn from, and Moreno Valley is certainly taking advantage of this simple fact."
The GIS Department shares its database with the Fire Department so it can have a better understanding of roads, access ways, and other data crucial in an emergency response and for emergency mitigation planning.
"There's a huge benefit for how decisions are being made because there's more accurate, detailed information available to more people," says Heslin. "Our enterprise GIS provides a jump-start to City Hall and other professionals who need to do a vast array of diverse research. It also helps us work with other cities in joint projects."
Users accessing the database have a large number of tools for performing queries and analysis. For instance, a search can be performed by street location, ZIP Code, parcel number, zone identification, or any number of spatial and asset identifiers. The automated links between spatial and tabular data provide a sophisticated integration method for greater analysis.
"Government employees can look at a map and drill down to view related map data or look at a database record and then access a map," adds Heslin. "People may not even know exactly what they're looking for but, geographically, they know it's around a general area. They can then drill down and pull up other layers of information. They couldn't do this before. If they're researching a project in the city, they may want to see what impact it will have on school systems, parks, traffic, or other entities. They can make better decisions and, ultimately, save money by making sure budget dollars are spent in the best manner possible."
The city also recently finalized the development of an ArcIMS software-based Intranet site. "With an Intranet-based interface to our information, we can serve a greater number of government employees more efficiently," concludes Heslin.
Future applications include integrating GIS with Moreno Valley's permitting system. The city is also in the process of developing an economic development Internet site.
For more information, contact Michael Heslin, GIS coordinator, city of Moreno Valley (tel.: 909-413-3418; e-mail: mikeh@moval.org).
"Once the data was in GIS, then calculations became a snap," says Heslin. "We could calculate linear feet for any type of trail, calculate how much a trail would cost, determine which properties it would cross, and more. It essentially saved several hundred hours of manually mapping trails and performing analysis."
Collaborative efforts were made with other municipalities. The cities of Riverside and Corona, both also within Riverside County, got together with Moreno Valley and shared land use, planning, zoning, parks, and other information for a California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) project to get a better understanding of trails and their interconnection between these cities.
"We've learned a lot from other government agencies, both larger and smaller than we are, that have done similar things and have important lessons to share," says Heslin. "There's a great user community out there to learn from, and Moreno Valley is certainly taking advantage of this simple fact."
The GIS Department shares its database with the Fire Department so it can have a better understanding of roads, access ways, and other data crucial in an emergency response and for emergency mitigation planning.
"There's a huge benefit for how decisions are being made because there's more accurate, detailed information available to more people," says Heslin. "Our enterprise GIS provides a jump-start to City Hall and other professionals who need to do a vast array of diverse research. It also helps us work with other cities in joint projects."
Users accessing the database have a large number of tools for performing queries and analysis. For instance, a search can be performed by street location, ZIP Code, parcel number, zone identification, or any number of spatial and asset identifiers. The automated links between spatial and tabular data provide a sophisticated integration method for greater analysis.
"Government employees can look at a map and drill down to view related map data or look at a database record and then access a map," adds Heslin. "People may not even know exactly what they're looking for but, geographically, they know it's around a general area. They can then drill down and pull up other layers of information. They couldn't do this before. If they're researching a project in the city, they may want to see what impact it will have on school systems, parks, traffic, or other entities. They can make better decisions and, ultimately, save money by making sure budget dollars are spent in the best manner possible."
The city also recently finalized the development of an ArcIMS software-based Intranet site. "With an Intranet-based interface to our information, we can serve a greater number of government employees more efficiently," concludes Heslin.
Future applications include integrating GIS with Moreno Valley's permitting system. The city is also in the process of developing an economic development Internet site.
For more information, contact Michael Heslin, GIS coordinator, city of Moreno Valley (tel.: 909-413-3418; e-mail: mikeh@moval.org).
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