MoreAutodesk Inc. announced that it is working with eleven British Columbia (B.C.) municipalities to help improve service delivery of government services to residents and city workers through its Internet/Intranet mapping technology. Municipalities utilizing the benefits of this new technology include the City of Nanaimo, City of New Westminster, City of Vancouver, District of North Saanich, City of Victoria, City of Penticton, City of Vernon, Corporation of Delta, City of Prince George, City of Castlegar, and the Township of Esquimalt. With the implementation of Autodesk MapGuide web-based mapping software, which uses geographic information systems (GIS), the municipalities receive up-to-date geographic data such as city maps and land zoning information quickly—via a centralized Internet/Intranet portal. Autodesk MapGuide allows municipal workers to enter information that can be queried and displayed into a map format that users can access simply by logging onto the Internet/Intranet. Whereas paper maps were time-consuming and quickly outdated, the use of electronic maps ensures that if one portion of the map changes it can be immediately altered with a few keystrokes and applied to every map affected by the change.
Easy Internet Access
With Autodesk GIS, residents may now have 24/7 access to a range of useful government services and information. B.C. municipalities can now publish city maps for municipal zoning requests and provide information about public facilities such as schools, libraries, halls, and recreation areas for users to access, including business hours and services provided. Future applications of the service identified by the municipalities include information on waste/recycling collection, garbage collection, speed limits, parking information, and street cleaning times.
For city employees, the use of the GIS software has streamlined information sharing procedures between departments, with the creation of a centralized web-based community that can be updated in real time. It also allows municipal workers to create specialized mapping applications such as monitoring traffic patterns, property tax assessment, municipal elections and infrastructure management.
