Corporate & Business Member News

Spatial Focus and Farragut Systems Team Up to Fix Local Government’s Pervasive Addressing Problem

Longmont, CO, January 18, 2010 – The management and distribution of addresses is a problem that has long challenged local government. Errors and inconsistencies in addressing lead to issues such as:

Decreased Revenues – Missing and/or wrong addresses can lead to tax assessment and collection problems, e.g., if you can’t find it, you can’t tax it
Public Safety – Errors and/or inconsistencies can cause emergency services to show up in the wrong place
Voting – Errors can lead to votes being cast in the wrong district
Distribution of Services – Incorrect addressing can affect how services dollars are distributed
Cost of Maintenance – Maintaining multiple addressing systems can lead to duplication of effort, decreased efficiency, and bad data
Customer Service – Addressing errors can lead to frustration by the public

Spatial Focus, Inc. (www.spatialfocus.com), an industry leader in designing and implementing addressing solutions for local government and Farragut Systems, Inc. (www.farragut.com), a GIS solutions company whose AddressOne™ product is a robust commercial-off-the-shelf enterprise addressing solution, today announced a strategic partnership.

By leveraging Spatial Focus’ wide ranging expertise in addressing and Farragut Systems’ proven enterprise addressing solutions, the combined team will be able to offer a complete, end-to-end solution for the management and distribution of addresses in local government.

“Spatial Focus has unmatched expertise in the assessment, design, and implementation of addressing solutions,” said Greg Anderson, President of Farragut Systems. “We believe that their experience, combined with Farragut’s enterprise addressing solution, is a combination that will offer the first real solution to the addressing breakdowns that plague local governments.”

“Farragut Systems has developed the industry’s most comprehensive enterprise addressing products,” said Martha Wells, Spatial Focus Partner. “What’s more, their solutions are well-designed, they incorporate industry best practices, and they are based on open standards.”

About Spatial Focus:
Spatial Focus is a GIS consulting firm which has been working in the areas of address repositories, data modeling and database design, data standards, and quality assurance for the past 10 years. As the co-chairs of URISA’s Address Standard Working Group and the co-authors of the URISA workshop, "Addressing and GIS/IT Implementation," the Partners of Spatial Focus have continued to lead the drive towards address standardization, integration, and dissemination within local government. For more information about Spatial Focus, visit www.spatialfocus.com.

About Farragut Systems:
Since 1994, Farragut Systems’ has been leading the way in using GIS technology to help departmental applications—and personnel—work better together in the service of local constituencies. Farragut combines commercial-off-the-shelf products such as AddressOne and ParcelSync™ with proven deployment expertise to ensure that each solution delivers the expected results. Farragut Systems is a Microsoft® Gold Partner and a longstanding ESRI® Business Partner. For more information about Farragut Systems, visit www.farragut.com.

About AddressOne:
AddressOne, Farragut Systems’ Enterprise Addressing Product, is a robust enterprise addressing solution that is specifically designed to meet the needs of local government. AddressOne provides the following benefits:

Streamlines address creation, validation and maintenance using robust GIS-based tools
Increases the accuracy and reliability of address data
Provides the ability to centrally manage and standardize the use of both physical and mailing addresses
Provides the ability to query and validate addressing information
Maintains a complete history of retired and obsolete addresses
Provides a robust set of web services that allows AddressOne to be integrated with other departmental applications

For more information about AddressOne, visit www.farragut.com/products.html

January 14, 2010 - ORLANDO, Fla. --- Data Transfer Solutions (DTS), based in downtown Avalon Park, was recently awarded a $1.5 million IDIQ contract as part of the Metric Engineering team from the Florida Department of Transportation’s District Three, which covers northwest Florida and the panhandle.

A.M. “Trey” Fragala III, AICP, PMP chief operating officer at Data Transfer Solutions, said DTS will support the Metric team by providing as needed transportation planning support, GIS and applications/software development services to the FDOT.

Data Transfer Solutions provides geographic information systems (GIS), transportation planning and engineering, asset management, web design, custom applications development and video and multimedia production services to local governments and regional and state agencies throughout the U.S. The firm has offices in six states.

MARS® LiDAR Data Management Software Now Available Online

Aurora, CO – Dec. 16, 2009 – The GeoSpatial Solutions (GSS) division of Merrick & Company is pleased to announce the online availability of the new version 6.0 Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing (MARS®) software suite. Geospatial users interested in evaluating MARS® may download either the 32-bit or 64-bit software installers directly from the Merrick website at www.merrick.com/MARS.

Developed to support users working with very large light detection and ranging (LiDAR) datasets, the MARS® software suite is a robust, production‐grade Windows® application designed to manage, visualize, process, and analyze LiDAR data. Boasting powerful visualization capabilities and excellent data processing performance, MARS® also supports high-resolution orthoimagery, GIS/CAD vector data and hyperspectral imagery.

“We’re thrilled to offer our software tools to the public and expect to further enhance MARS® by adding toolsets for the energy, natural resources and defense markets. We’ve carried our most valuable tools forward and added many new features and enhancements that will appeal to many more users,” stated Matt Bethel, Manager of Systems Engineering, Merrick GeoSpatial Solutions.

Parties wishing to utilize the free, 30-day MARS® trial version should visit www.merrick.com/MARS and complete the download information form in order to access the free trial version. A valid e-mail address is required to receive the version 6.0 evaluation license.

ESRI President Jack Dangermond Invites Online Discussion on Climate Change at Spatial Roundtable

Conversation Coincides with COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark

Redlands, California—December 10, 2009—On December 9, 2009, ESRI president Jack Dangermond opened an online discussion about the value of geographic information systems (GIS) to develop programs for carbon accounting and environmental sustainability. The conversation runs concurrently with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, Denmark. ESRI's hosted Spatial Roundtable will provide an engaging online venue for environmental professionals to weigh in on their vision for geospatial technologies' role in meeting the climate change crisis.

"GIS has the robust capacity and capability to design the building blocks for carbon accounting systems including data, models, and delivery systems," said Dangermond. "It provides the tools needed for analyzing environmental practices as well as developing and monitoring sustainable greenhouse gas reduction plans. GIS users represent a vast reservoir of knowledge, expertise, and best practices for applying this cornerstone technology to the science of climate change and understanding its impact on natural and human systems. I look forward to a lively online discussion at the Spatial Roundtable."

Dangermond, an environmentalist who is a strong advocate of sustainable environmental management, has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to developing technology for monitoring and managing sustainable systems. In so doing, his company, ESRI, or Environmental Systems Research Institute, has become the world's leader in GIS technology.

"I invite environmental professionals who use GIS in their work to visit the Spatial Roundtable to discuss how organizations and businesses use this technology to help us understand and respond to climate change," Dangermond said.

Dangermond kicked off the climate change conversation by asking, "What do you think are the benefits of using GIS technology to advance climate change science?" He has invited special contributors to join the discussion and invites site visitors to add their comments. The climate change topic discussion will be active from December 13, 2009, through January 31, 2010, and will remain accessible for review in the Spatial Roundtable archive through 2011.

Visit www.spatialroundtable.com and join the conversation.

Sidwell Selected by Keya Paha County, Nebraska

St. Charles, IL – As a result of the release of updated statewide soil mapping data, Keya Paha County needed to implement new land capability groups as recommended by the State of Nebraska’s Property Assessment Division. In order to achieve compliance with the Property Assessment Division’s Directive 99-8, Keya Paha County has selected Sidwell to provide digital conversion of the County’s 2,600 land parcels. Once the conversion process is complete, Sidwell will then use its FARMS™ (Farmland Assessment and Report Management System) solution to provide soil calculations, land use calculations, and database linkages to all parcels to complete the assessment GIS and bring the County’s data into compliance. The resulting cadastral-based GIS is to be delivered to Keya Paha County via a new website which will be designed and hosted by Sidwell. The spatial data that will be featured on the site includes the new digital parcel data; the corresponding digital orthophotography; as well as a variety of parcel attribute data. Sidwell staff will provide consultation and training on the use of the website, which will allow County staff to perform queries, conduct property searches, and create and print reports on demand. With up-to-date parcel information in a centralized and accessible location, Keya Paha County will be able to efficiently share the data with end-users in County offices as well as the general public.

This marks the 25th county in 2009 that Sidwell has assisted in moving from paper records to an ESRI GIS-based land records management system.

EPA Maps Recovery Obligations and Outlays

Online GIS Application Shows where EPA Is Investing and How Much It Has Spent to Date

August 27, 2009 - Redlands, California—The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is using geographic information system (GIS) technology to show how it is administering its $7.22 billion allotment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The ESRI ArcGIS Server software-based Web mapping application (click the link on http://www.epa.gov/recovery/map.html) shows total financial obligations and outlays by state. Once a state is selected, visitors can see how much money is going to State and Tribal Assistance Grants, Environmental Program and Management, the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund, and Hazardous Substance Superfund.

"Providing this rich set of information to the public in an easy-to-use mapping application is one important way that we are operating in an open and transparent way," says Jerry Johnston, geospatial information officer, EPA. "By allowing the public to see exactly how EPA's ARRA funds are being disbursed in their states and, ultimately, in their neighborhoods, this application and the ones that will follow will help ensure an unprecedented level of accountability and transparency in the execution of these programs."

EPA has used ESRI GIS technology for years to manage its geographic data and deliver information to the public. The EnviroMapper portal, for example, provides access to GIS-based applications that map data related to air, water, and land issues across the United States including EnviroMapper for Environmental Justice and EnviroMapper for the Toxics Release Inventory Program. Most recently, EPA added MyEnvironment to its home page, which allows visitors to input a location and discover detailed information in the specified area such as air quality, cancer risk estimates, and water conditions. MyEnvironment is powered by ArcGIS Server and uses Microsoft Bing Maps.

"GIS supports EPA's mission to safeguard human health and the environment," says ESRI president Jack Dangermond. "Using GIS for research, reporting, and decision making has allowed the agency to quickly respond to environmental events and keep the public informed and protected."

About ESRI
Since 1969, ESRI has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS, ESRI software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. ESRI applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of Web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. ESRI is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at www.esri.com.

ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, GIS by ESRI, ArcGIS, www.esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

Sidwell to Provide E9-1-1 Mapping, Consulting, and Software Services to Wayne County, Illinois

July 22, 2009 - St. Charles, IL – Wayne County, located in southeastern Illinois, has a population of approximately 16,500 and covers an area of 716 square miles. The County has made the decision to move ahead with a comprehensive project to convert their Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB) to E9-1-1 and implement Wireless Phase I/II. To support them in this critical initiative, the County has selected team of The Sidwell Company and Bullberry Systems, Inc. Sidwell previously provided GIS services for the County that included countywide aerial imagery and parcel development. Sidwell’s mapping expertise and familiarity with Wayne County will allow them to create a highly accurate base map that will be used by BullBerry Systems InSight Dispatch software; this base map will include a Road Centerline layer, an Address Point layer, a Postal Zone layer, and an Emergency Service Zone (ESZ) layer. Addressing assignments will follow all United States Postal Service and NENA standards. Bullberry Systems will provide the County with professional services to support the ETSB-to-E9-1-1 conversion, as well as the implementation of Wireless Phase I/II. The County will also receive Bullberry’s Insight Dispatch mapping software for the tracking of caller/incident locations, and efficient routing of emergency responders.

Wayne County will get the best of both worlds in the technology team of Sidwell/Bullberry. This project incorporates the leaders in the cadastral GIS world and leaders in the 9-1-1 software world into a project team dedicated to ensuring that Wayne County’s E9-1-1 mapping system will meet all their needs and requirements in its creation, implementation, long-term success, and most importantly, the safety and security of all residents of the County.

Sidwell Provides Cadastral Modernization for Robertson County Appraisal District, TX

St. Charles, IL - In 2008, the Robertson County Appraisal District, Texas, (RCAD) came to the realization that its digital mapping efforts could not provide the kinds of data and services necessary to serve its users in County offices or the citizens of the county. In fact, the existing CAD-based software was so out of date that the vendor no longer supported the version being used by RCAD. The digital parcel base also did not contain many fundamental cadastral features common to modern local government GIS schemas, such as roads or parcel dimensions. In addition, RCAD had also determined that they needed to integrate their GIS data with their Tax administration and CAMA databases, and to deploy that integrated data via web services.

RCAD selected The Sidwell Company to provide the professional GIS services required to achieve these goals. Three primary needs were put into the scope of work, with an eight month completion schedule to accomplish these tasks. The first was migration of the existing CAD parcel data into an ESRI® geodatabase, which would be further enhanced by structuring the geodatabase with the Sidwell Tagged Parcel Data model. The next was the development of a front end website providing access to Tax and CAMA data, and an integrated GIS website based on ESRI ArcGIS® Server technology. Finally, Sidwell’s team of professionals would work with RCAD staff on review, analysis, and implementation an improved land records workflow.

These efforts are supported by Sidwell’s industry acclaimed Parcel Builder® software suite, which feature a series of mapping productivity tools that are compliant with ArcGIS 9.3.1®. Work began on the project in December 2008, at which time the frontend website was the first task undertaken, at the request of RCAD. The site went live in early March 2009. Simultaneous with the web development was the complete remapping of all 35,000 parcels in Robertson County. Although the original intent was to make use of RCAD’s existing CAD-based parcel data, Sidwell recommended, and RCAD agreed, that they would achieve a more spatially accurate and robust data set by redrawing the cadastral data. This work was performed at no additional cost to the county. The completed geodatabase was delivered to the county in May, 2009. At the same time, training of RCAD staff to maintain the cadastral geodatabase using ArcGIS and Parcel Builder took place. The entire project was completed both on time, and within budget. Robertson CAD Mapper Dee-Dee Ferrell indicates that she is “very happy with our new Parcel Builder software, and can see ways that it will help tremendously with our ongoing mapping needs.” Ferrell adds “We’ve also found multiple properties we didn’t even know were missing from the tax roll, and we’re getting a lot of compliments on the quality of the data and the ease of sharing it through the website.”

By virtue of their partnership and successful working relationship with The Sidwell Company, the Robertson County Appraisal District has achieved their GIS objectives and now has the tools, and data, to provide the level of GIS and mapping services it has long desired to serve the needs of its entire user community. Visit Robertson CAD on the web: http://robertsontx.mygisonline.com.

ESRI Is a Finalist for Microsoft's Public Sector, Government Partner of the Year
Recognition Is for ESRI's Collaboration with Microsoft on Fusion Core Solution Technology for Data Fusion Centers

Redlands, California—July 2, 2009—ESRI, the leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology, was selected as one of two finalists for Microsoft's Public Sector, Government Partner of the Year award. The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) Award recognizes partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions. This new award honors partners that have delivered innovative solutions that address the unique needs of the public sector.
Microsoft and ESRI, a Gold Certified Partner, collaborated to develop a compelling joint offering directed at the growing data fusion center market. The Fusion Core Solution technology architecture incorporates ESRI's sophisticated ArcGIS technology and delivers a standards-based solution tailored to state and local intelligence and fusion center missions and practices and is interoperable with existing technology infrastructures. The Fusion Core Solution technology enables the fusion center team to immediately assess and model emergency situations on a dynamic electronic map. This reduces cycle times and offers decision makers much higher quality and actionable information.

"ESRI is honored to be acknowledged for its efforts in this important venue," says Russ Johnson, ESRI public safety industry manager. "We teamed with Microsoft to develop an integrated software solution to support data fusion centers that merge large volumes of disparate information into actionable intelligence."

Microsoft presents awards in a number of categories, and winners are chosen from a pool of nearly 2,000 entrants worldwide. For this award, Microsoft recognizes the most valuable public-sector partner in delivering Microsoft solutions to its mutual customers during the past year. ESRI is the only GIS vendor to provide a complete suite of geospatial software solutions that can work as clients to the spatial extensions to SQL Server 2008. ESRI's applications, running on more than one million Windows desktops and millions of Web and Windows servers, provide the foundation for mapping and spatial analysis.

"Partners are the key to igniting business innovation through great technology as well as helping customers drive down costs," says Allison L. Watson, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft Corp. "Congratulations to the 2009 WPC Award finalists who have demonstrated a superior level of expertise as well as a focus on delivering customer value. We look forward to seeing these partners fulfill their limitless potential as they continue to provide customers with world-class Microsoft solutions."

The Sidwell Company to Provide Data Conversion and Parcel Builder™ Software to Jefferson County, CO

June 23, 2009 - St. Charles, IL – In November 2008, Jefferson County, Colorado issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the purposes of acquiring parcel data conversion services and parcel maintenance software for their Assessor’s office. With the responsibility of parcel maintenance for more than 200,000 parcels in more than 170 taxing entities, the Jefferson County, Colorado Assessor was faced with the need to upgrade and improve the way in which this his office handled this critical need. The County and Assessor Jim Everson clearly defined their desire for a state-of-the-art solution that would support his land parcel information needs and workflow strategy. After review of the solutions offered by the vendors who responded to their RFP, Jefferson County selected The Sidwell Company to provide the parcel data conversion and parcel maintenance solution the County sought. By selecting Sidwell’s team of GIS and mapping experts, Jefferson County will be able to take advantage of the many GIS technology innovations that Sidwell has been a part of, and they will also reinvent their geodatabase design to serve their needs for many years into the future.

The Sidwell team will prepare a prototype geodatabase schema using information gathered at the County. Upon acceptance of this geodatabase, all existing cadastral data will be converted to an ESRI geodatabase feature dataset based on the tagged data model. The County also elected to purchase Sidwell’s Parcel Builder® software. Parcel Builder is a suite of software developed by Sidwell for the specific purpose of creating and maintaining cadastral maps. It is compliant with ArcGIS 9.3.1, and extends the functionality of ESRI’s ArcGIS software platform by introducing over 40 tools to improve GIS-based land records workflows.

Jefferson County has also selected Manatron as their CAMA vendor, and will benefit from the ongoing partnership between Sidwell and Manatron which will provide the County with a long-term integrated workflow solution between their GIS and CAMA data. According to John Hansen, GIS Programmer/Analyst with the Jefferson County Assessors’s Office, "Jefferson County concluded that Sidwell’s approach to GIS/CAMA integration provides the most synergy with our long-term strategic goals.” Adds Hansen, “We also concluded that the tagged-line data model is ideal because it is cartographically based, and can leverage our current data model as we transition from coverages to the geodatabase." Ultimately, Jefferson County will have a streamlined cadastral system that will support their land records management needs and help the Assessor’s staff provide the necessary services to their constituents in the most efficient manner possible.

Pictometry Promotes Hepp to VP of International Business Development

Rochester, NY - June 17, 2009 - Pictometry International Corp. announces the promotion of Alex Hepp to Vice President of International Business Development.

In this new position, Hepp is responsible for growing Pictometry’s international product sales and working directly with the Company’s international licensees. Pictometry’s international business currently has eight international technology licensees, each of which utilizes Pictometry’s proprietary technology to provide imagery to government and commercial customers, together covering more than 140 countries and territories around the world. Pictometry’s extensive international image library currently includes coverage of more than 1,500 cities and locations in Europe, the Americas, Australia, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

Hepp joined the company in 2006 as Manager of Assessment Operations and has been instrumental in helping Pictometry develop and grow its product offering and brand awareness among users in tax assessment and valuation. Prior to joining the Company, he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Mobile Video Services, Inc. Kansas City, Missouri, a leading imaging and field data collection company.

About Pictometry
Pictometry International Corp. is a leading provider of geo-referenced, aerial image libraries and related software. Pictometry has captured over 50 million digital aerial images in over 600 counties in the United States covering over 70 percent of the United States population. Using its proprietary imaging process, Pictometry® captures geo-referenced, high-resolution oblique (at an angle, producing a 3-D like view) and orthogonal (straight down) Intelligent Images®, within which structures and land features can be measured. Pictometry customizes and markets these technologies for government and commercial applications, offering non-traditional software solutions to aerial imaging needs. Pictometry’s imagery and software enables users to “See Everywhere, Measure Anything, Plan Everything”® using a patented digital information system. Pictometry has its headquarters in Rochester, NY and an office in Europe. Pictometry is a second order visualization tool that does not produce authoritative or definitive information (surveying) from its digital, aerial images. For more information on Pictometry, visit www.pictometry.com.

Three Georgia eGPS Base Stations have been added to the National CORS Program

NORCROSS, GA, May 21, 2009 – Three additional GPS satellite base stations owned by eGPS Solutions are now being processed into the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) program.

These base stations are part of the eGPS Real Time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Network. Every CORS-approved base station provides the Global Navigation Satellite System carrier phase and code range measurements in support of 3-dimensional positioning activities throughout the United States and its territories. As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NGS invites organizations and individuals to share data from their permanent GPS base stations by including these stations in the National CORS network.

Each CORS-approved base station must meet significant criteria including having dual frequency receiver/antenna oriented to true North with approved NGS phase center variability model, tracking at least ten satellites above 0 degrees, with pseudorange precision to better than 0.5 meter RMS, and many additional measurements and rules. Surveyors, engineers, scientists, and others can use data provided by CORS to position points at which GNNS data have been collected. This system enables accuracies in positioning of a few centimeters, both horizontally and vertically, relative to the National Spatial Reference System.

In developing its Real Time Network, eGPS Solutions has designed and built all of its base stations to the CORS specification. The newly added stations are Brunswick, GA (gabk), Tifton, GA (gatf), and Blakely, GA (gaby). The addition of these CORS stations will add to the accuracy of OPUS solutions within the boundaries of Georgia as well as the post processed static and mapping grade measurements. The firm is proud to be serving as the backbone of geodetic control throughout Georgia.

Located in Norcross, Georgia, eGPS Solutions, Inc. owns and operates a GNSS RTN covering all of Georgia and Florida and extending approximately five miles off the coastline of both states. It is the largest privately owned GNSS Real Time Network (RTN) in the United States. Originally conceived as the brainchild of ardent industry professionals with a penchant for advancing the surveying and mapping industries, it was not built as a service to accompany and promote the sales for a specific manufacturer's equipment. This has given eGPS Solutions the unique opportunity to benefit a broader spectrum of professionals. The RTN technologies utilized by the eGPS Solutions network of RTN reference stations replace conventional Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) base station methods by eliminating the need for individual, temporary base stations. For more information on eGPS Solutions, visit www.egps.net or contact Lonnie Sears, 770-695-3361, lsears@egps.net.

Sidwell to Provide GIS Services to City of Beloit, WI

May 14, 2009 - St. Charles, IL – As they analyzed their current land records management processes and workflows, the City of Beloit recognized the need to modernize and automate their mapping system, and make it easier to distribute and deploy data to all potential users. According to the City’s GIS Coordinator Keith Houston, “We knew we wanted a solution that would incorporate state-of-the-art GIS technology, be capable of supporting our land parcel information needs, and fit seamlessly with our chosen workflow strategy.” After a comprehensive qualifications-based selection process, the City chose The Sidwell Company to serve as their GIS consultant.

Sidwell—a provider of geographic information systems, aerial photography, cadastral mapping and website provision services—will convert the City of Beloit’s current cadastral data into an ESRI® ArcGIS® Geodatabase platform, and provide an ESRI-based software solution for maintaining the GIS. This GIS solution will also support a direct interface to the City’s application for tax cycle administration. The City will receive Sidwell’s Parcel Builder™ integrated software suite for use in maintaining the converted data, as well as several hours of customized training on how to maximize use of this mapping productivity toolkit. The County is also contracting with Sidwell to provide mapping services to prepare the cadastral database for plotting, including the creation of map indexes, templates and symbology style sets that are designed for use with the Parcel Builder-MapPlotter™ software module.

Along with data conversion, Sidwell will develop and maintain a GIS website for the City. The new website will include a map navigation capability and a parcel number querying application with which users of the website (i.e. citizens and businesses) can easily access land parcel and ownership information. At the completion of this project, the City will have all its parcel data in the most current technology from ESRI; an integrated parcel management system for daily maintenance and map production, a public access website, and training that will allow them to manage and extend the system on their own. The overall impact of this project will be to accomplish the City’s ultimate objective with regard to their land parcel maintenance needs: they will be able to increase the accuracy of their parcel data creation and maintenance in a true GIS environment.

About this project, Neal Carpenter, President and CEO of The Sidwell Company, says ““We are thrilled to have been selected by The City of Beloit, and are dedicated to meeting their needs and exceeding their expectations. I am confident that the outstanding GIS staff at the City will use the results of this project to meaningfully improve the quality of the services they provide to the people of Beloit.”

BOONE COUNTY MISSOURI GIS SELECTS SANBORN

Colorado Springs, Colo., May 13, 2009—Sanborn today announced the company’s St Louis office has been awarded a contract by Boone County, Missouri. Sanborn will provide the county’s 2009 mapping project with LiDAR and color digital orthophotos. The project, funded by the Boone County Assessor’s Office, covers a total of 1106 square miles, of which 466 square miles will be used to create highly accurate 2’ contour and planimetric data layers used throughout the county for assessment, stormwater management, planning and design purposes. The project also includes cost-sharing with the USGS and the Corps of Engineers that resulted in a regional LiDAR flight of 1106 square miles to support the improvement of elevation data in the region.

“We are pleased to support Boone County,” states Bob Williams, vice president of Sanborn’s Imagery Services Central. “The county is very knowledgeable on the use of this technology and we look forward to supporting their requirements.”

Sanborn will use LiDAR, a technology that uses laser beams fired from airplanes, to create the areas’ digital elevation model. The high-resolution elevation data provided by Sanborn will give users significant insight into the terrain of the county. The LiDAR deliverable is FEMA compliant and will be an invaluable addition to the county’s GIS. Orthophotos will be produced from digital cameras providing both high resolution detail and when combined with the elevation data collected from LiDAR, highly accurate mapping products.

“Sanborn met or exceeded our requirements for the project. They are experienced and have supported other projects in Missouri and the Midwest.” says Jason Warzinik, Boone County’s GIS Manager. Multiple county departments, various agencies, private consultants, the USGS, the Corp of Engineers, among others will be able to utilize the data Sanborn collects for a variety of purposes including land valuation and assessment, roadway design, sewer and storm water planning as well as flood mitigation. The data will also help officials in their emergency response planning and response efforts.

The entire project will be completed by March 2010 enabling the county to provide current, critical information for the programs and to its partners.

April 8, 2009 -Sidwell to Provide Photogrammetric and Professional GIS Services to Lake County, IN

St. Charles, IL – After determining the need for updated aerial photography to support the ongoing spatial enhancement of their cadastral data, Lake County Surveyor George Van Til, has chosen The Sidwell Company to undertake a multi-phase photogrammetric project for his large Northwest Indiana County. Sidwell is eager to assist a longtime, valued client by providing aerial photography and related topographic services to support the continued growth of the county’s robust GIS. Using an Airborne Global Positioning System (AGPS), in conjunction with ground-based GPS survey technology for control, Sidwell will secure spring 2009 color aerial photography for use in developing two-foot topographic contour maps, which are needed by the Lake County Surveyor’s Office to support its drainage and storm water management duties.

During the first phase of this project, the photogrammetric work will be done for approximately one-third of Lake County, focused on a key area in which the most growth and the most recent land development changes have occurred. Subsequent work phases will include the capture of aerial photography and creation of two-foot topographic contours for all other areas within the county, eventually providing complete coverage of the entire jurisdiction which includes 626 square miles. In addition, the Surveyor’s Office website will be upgraded with a number of useful and usable enhancements. Sidwell will also install the industry-acclaimed ArcGIS®-compliant parcel map maintenance solution, Parcel Builder™ Version 3.3, and office staff will receive several days of on-site customized training on its use.

Following the lead of the Surveyor’s Office, several other Lake County government offices will be working with Sidwell on a variety of GIS-related professional services to augment their own unique use of the county’s cadastral data – all part of a county-wide effort to move toward establishing a more integrated, enterprise GIS. With funding provided by a seven member County Council, a contract approved by the three County Commissioners, and plans supported by many different governmental offices, Sidwell is ready to address the GIS needs of the Assessor, as well as the Parks, Planning, and Highway Departments. This project will include providing data integration services to the county’s Planning Department, converting data for the county’s Highway Department, and performing farmland assessment computations for use by the County Assessor’s office, in determining agricultural parcel value and assessment.

Veteran Lake County Surveyor George Van Til, the consistent driving force behind Lake County’s geographic Information System pointed out; “As our GIS has matured and it’s functionality continues to advance, Sidwell provides the sophisticated, state-of-the-art information technology we need along with a genuine understanding of the specific public service requirements that various governmental offices must respond to.” Adds Van Til, “I like the fact that the Sidwell Company experts have the flexibility we sometimes need in government while maintaining their focus on the mission and our goals. This has been invaluable to us.”

April 2, 2009 - Data Transfer Solutions Approved by the Federal Government to be Listed on the GSA

ORLANDO, Fla. --- Data Transfer Solutions, LLC, the downtown Avalon Park-based technology company that provides professional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software engineering and web development services to local and state government agencies, recently qualified for inclusion on the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) list of approved contract providers.

A.M. “Trey” Fragala III, AICP, chief operating officer at Data Transfer Solutions, said inclusion on the list is a critical first step to securing federal government contracts to provide technology-based services, such as custom applications development and web development.

Data Transfer Solutions has three other technical offices – in Tampa, Jacksonville and Fort Collins, Colo. – and sales offices in San Antonio, Boston, Portland, Ore., Chicago and Charlotte.

Oregon Signs ESRI ELA and Adopts ArcGIS Platform as the GIS Standard
State Becomes Sixth to Embrace ELA Program for Cost Savings and Increased Flexibility

Redlands, California—March 31, 2009—The State of Oregon has signed an enterprise license agreement (ELA) with ESRI. With unlimited access to ESRI ArcGIS software, the state cuts procurement costs and encourages widespread GIS application development for more efficient operations. Oregon has already leveraged its ELA to develop a GIS-based stimulus funds tracking Web site. It joins states across the United States that are realizing the value of ESRI ELAs including Alabama, Delaware, Maine, Montana, and North Carolina.

“Our goal is to meet the business needs of all our staff, from novice GIS users to experts,” said Cy Smith, statewide GIS coordinator, Department of Administrative Services/Geospatial Enterprise Office. “Ongoing access to the software means agencies can expand application development. Agencies that have not yet started using it can do so. Now, a lot more people will create geospatial data to improve specific business processes and government services that require interagency coordination.”

Oregon also recently passed legislation making ESRI technology the standard for GIS in all state agencies. The administrative rule is Oregon’s first IT standard. Operating from this common foundation with wide access to ArcGIS software will ease GIS software administration and improve collaboration, data sharing, and communication across agencies. The ELA, combined with the state’s GIS standard, will encourage rapid growth of navigatOR, Oregon’s initiative to cost-effectively develop and manage statewide geospatial data in coordination with local, state, tribal, and federal government. The state’s data and Web mapping applications are available via Oregon Explorer.

“Oregon’s move to standardize on ArcGIS software and secure the GIS software it needs will help the state optimally serve government agencies and citizens,” said ESRI President Jack Dangermond. “As states across the nation face growing demands to do more with less, Oregon provides a strong example of how they can use GIS technology to move government forward.”

ArcGIS software provides spatial analysis, geographic data management, advanced visualization and cartographic capabilities, and more. ArcGIS software is a complete system to author, serve, and use geographic information. The open and interoperable technology gets geographic information to those who need it including analysts, decision makers, field staff, and the public through its support of mobile, Web, and desktop clients.

For more information about ESRI ELAs for government, contact 800-447-9778 or visit www.esri.com/governmentela.