Readying Municipalities for the Future with Spatial Technology

2010 MMA Technology Conference11 March 2010

Dr. James H. Page, CEOJames W. Sewall Company

Readying Municipalities for the Future

The Future = Meeting ever-increasing expectations with fewer resources.

Resources

Resources = Funding

Funding challenges come from:Short-term economic conditions

- Jobs

Long-term statewide structural challenges- Demographics

Expectations

Expectations come from: Citizenry

Businesses

Other levels of government

Colleagues

All expect services to be: Faster

Better

Less expensive

Expectations and Spatial Technologies

Q: Where do or will these expectations engage with spatial technologies at the municipal level?

A: Almost everywhere.

Almost all municipal functions do or will use spatial information and technologies.

Examples

Citizens expect accurate, instant information about, e.g., property history and values, and to have instant communications about their service concerns.

Businesses expect accurate, instant information about, e.g., demographics, parcel data, infrastructure, zoning restrictions, permitting processes.

Government expects accurate, instant information about, e.g., infrastructure, regulatory compliance.

Colleagues expect help in meeting demands for services with fewer resources.

Instant = Web-based

Communities must be web-enabled!

Spatial Technology

Data

Information

Analysis

Use

Hardware and software are tools that make using the above possible.

Content expertise is key.

Data

Data is rarely the issue, and will be increasingly less so as time goes on.

Data is a commodity, and that trend will increase dramatically.

Information

How we turn data to information, and how we manage and use that information is what is an essential element as to how we meet expectations with fewer resources.

Information is Infrastructure!

OWEGIS

Developed jointly with UMaine for investigating offshore wind development.

640+ data layers

Sits on MEevents™, complex combinatorial and statistical queries allow hindcasing and forecasting.

OWEGIS

OWEGIS/MEevents™ is Infrastructure. It is a productive asset that itself requires

investment and maintenance.

Its value is both direct as measured in ROI and indirect (but no less real or important) in helping meet expectations.

Some Lessons

Understand the Expectations.

Complete an ROI. What are the costs of not creating the

infrastructure?

Create a Partnership.

Maine Municipalities

How do Maine Municipalities meet ever-increasing expectations with fewer

resources?

Understand Expectations

Create an ROI

Form Partnerships

Example – Stormwater Sewer Management

Understanding Expectations Maintain an aging infrastructure and support

system

Meet increased maintenance and replacement costs

Satisfy regulatory compliance

- GASB 34

- Clean Water Act - ERUs

Customer Service

Example: Stormwater Asset Management

Link a stormwater asset management system to a GIS Complete system history including distress conditions Complete mapping

Allows for inventory management, saving money active scheduling for preventive maintenance, saving money faster and more effective response

Regulatory compliance GASB 34 ERUs

Service expectations More efficient response

- Web-enable the public facing component.

Example: Stormwater Asset Management

Addresses Expectations

Improves the ROI

Creates Partnerships Public Works / Engineer

Finance /Planning

GIS

Business

Citizens

Partnerships

Share costs

Improve ROI

Provide for an effective division of labor Mitigate risk, especially with respect to single

points of failure

Maximize resources, build infrastructure

Form the most effective response to Expectations

Internal Partners

Assessors

Engineers

Planners

Economic Development Specialists

Public Works

First Responders

Policy Makers

Spatial Technology (information) is a connecting tissue.

Maine GeoSpatial Partners

MEGUG

Maine GeoLibrary

ConnectME Authority

Private Sector Consultants

COGS and Planning Commissions

Maine GeoLibrary

A public/private partnership formed to create an electronic gateway to public geographic information, to expand and promote the value of geospatial data through widespread distribution and innovative use for the benefit of Maine’s citizens. A key communications link between the municipal,

state and federal governments.

Sample Projects

- Maine OrthoProject

- Parcel Grant and Geoparcels

(Read 2009 Strategic Plan!)

(www.maine.gov/geolib)

ConnectME Authority

The Authority has the goal of expanding broadband infrastructure in the most rural, underserved and unserved areas in Maine.

Broadband is critical to geospatial.

Broadband is critical to communities.

(www.maine.gov/connectme)

Expectations

You can never meet Expectations.

Wherever possible, turn Expectations to Agreements. Explicit

Bilateral

Timed

Partnerships only work with Agreements, not expectations.

Conclusions

Q: How can geospatial technology help municipalities meet the future?

A: Develop the understanding among your stakeholders that:

Information is Infrastructure.

Geospatial Information is municipal management’s (cost-efficient) connecting tissue.

Information must be web-enabled.

Partnerships are necessary. They are based on Agreements.