The following is a press release written by Meghan Blair for City of Bloomington.
Bloomington, Ind. – The City of Bloomington Information & Technology Services (ITS) Department announced the launch of the new Bloomington Geospatial Hub (GeoHub) at https://geohub.bloomington.in.gov/. The GeoHub is the primary public resource for web maps, dashboards, and applications from the ITS Department’s GIS Division. Utilizing the industry's best practices in the creation of the site, the GeoHub allows for easier access to GIS content and increases transparency within the community.
Geographic information systems, also known as GIS, are an invaluable tool that allow capture, storage, manipulation, analysis, and presentation of spatial or geographical data. Since the early 2000s, the City of Bloomington has deployed GIS tools for enterprise use. Over the last few years, the City has updated its GIS platform, allowing for the development of user-centered interactive applications and the creation of the GeoHub.
City of Bloomington ITS GIS staff are responsible for the development and maintenance of the City’s central enterprise geodatabase, creating and updating datasets, producing cartographic maps, providing data analysis, and developing web mapping services and applications. The GeoHub showcases City data and applications with a fresh and easy to navigate website.
“The Geohub is one of several efforts underway to ensure ease of access to information,” said Mayor Thomson. “In my commitment to an open and transparent government, residents’ ability to access the materials they need is foundational.”
The Geohub was designed to be a repository for GIS applications. On the site, residents will find interactive applications to explore zoning, council districts, transportation projects, the bicycle network, and more.
In addition to the launch of the new GeoHub, the GIS team has redesigned the Historic Resources and Preservation map showing Bloomington’s local, state, and national historic resources, as well as the results from the 2018 Historic Sites and Structures Survey. The new Historic Preservation map is the first of a new generation of public-facing GIS applications featuring a mobile device friendly, intuitive, and accessible design that is the new standard for all City of Bloomington GIS applications. Each GIS application features three pages; a map, data dashboard, and information page enabling residents to visualize data on a map, view data metrics in a dashboard, and find additional resources specific within a single application.
“Thanks to the hard work and vision of the GIS team, City residents will be able to search and discover geospatial data in an easier-to-use interface fostering collaboration and community engagement,” stated Meghan Blair, ITS GIS Manager. “The GeoHub and map redesign represent the next evolution of an effort to increase geospatial data use and effectiveness.”
In the coming months, residents can expect to see the redesign of the current GIS mapping applications such as Zoning Districts, Council Districts, and the Bicycle Network along with release of new applications. The GIS team plans to create an interactive property map allowing residents to easily view address details such as economic incentives, zoning classifications, and districts.
Rick Dietz, ITS Director, said, “We are incredibly excited with the work ITS GIS Manager Meghan Blair and her team have done to move our GIS initiatives forward and share important data and insights with the Bloomington community.”
For more information about the City’s GIS activities and initiatives, please visit https://bloomington.in.gov/gis.
