york region geographic information services branch...

WEB MAPPING STRATEGY 2014GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SERVICES BRANCH

For more information contact:

Geographic Information ServicesThe Regional Municipality of York

17250 Yonge StreetNewmarket, Ontario L3Y 6Z1

Telephone: 905-830-4444 ext. 71555Toll-Free: 1-877-464-9675

Fax: 905-895-3482Email: [email protected]

Website: www.york.ca

3Web Mapping Strategy 2014

The Strategy .................................................................................................................................................... 4

Vision and Web Trends ............................................................................................................... 5

More Devices, More Apps, More Connected ............................................................................... 6

Web Mapping as a Collaborative Platform................................................................................... 8

Serve ...........................................................................................................................................................10

Ways we serve our customers .........................................................................................................10

Challenges keeping current with internet trends ...................................................................11

Self-service, Simplicity, Search and Speed .................................................................................12

Evolve .........................................................................................................................................................13

Web Mapping Architecture .............................................................................................................13

Taking Advantage of Technical Opportunity ............................................................................15

Transform ...............................................................................................................................................19

Web Mapping as a Technology for Engagement .....................................................................19

Collaboration as Transformation ...................................................................................................20

Implement and Maintain ..................................................................................................................24

Maintaining Web Mapping Services ............................................................................................24

Implementing Collaboration and Search Engine Optimization .........................................25

Summary .......................................................................................................................................................27

Contents

Web Mapping Strategy 20144

As an element of the Geographical Information Services Branch (GISB) Multi-Year Work Plan, this web mapping strategy describes a number of technical and non-technical directions to help us ensure we deliver value to our customers. The strategy embodies an ongoing process of evaluating, implementing, sustaining, and retiring successive waves of technologies. Over the next three years the emphasis will be on enabling mobile access to web mapping, and the building of web mapping as a collaborative platform.

There are four broad themes in the strategy for navigating this business and technology evolution:

• Serve – customer service – supporting an increasingly mobile workforce, with easy to use applications and good search capability.

• Evolve – evolving with technology – how York Region positions itself to take advantage of web mapping innovations

• Transform – transforming the organization’s business practices – new methods of engaging the Region’s residents and collaborative opportunities of new information technology

• Implement and Maintain – building and sustaining new web mapping technology –practical steps to deliver new web mapping solutions, reduce maintenance effort and engage partners and stakeholders.

These themes emerged from extensive consultation with key stakeholders in York Region’s current web mapping technology, concerning their needs and expectations for the future. They also incorporate a review of new technology, similar web-mapping sites in other jurisdictions, and key trends in web mapping.

The Strategy


Vision and WebTrendsThe Geographical Information Services Branch currently provides web applications, maps, data and expertise. The Branch’s Vision is to provide access to the Region’s authoritative geographic information anywhere, at any time, on any device.

Figure 1: York Region’s evolving internet mapping. Clockwise from top: Sourcewater protection interactive workflow map, Open Data download interface, York Regional Police Services crime reports mapping, waste depots mashup, YorkMaps community services interactive view.


More Devices, More Apps, More ConnectedThere has been major growth in smartphone and tablet technologies in the last 5 years. However, it is difficult to predict which future devices consumers will endorse as technology and market share rapidly changes (see Figure 2).

Apple’s iPad was introduced in April 2010. By late 2012 tablet device sales were higher than individual personal computers or laptop sales. This rapid shift to tablets poses a challenge in supporting these new devices – tablets do not necessarily support the same web interfaces personal computers do, but users want access to the same web applications they are familiar with.

There is significant evidence that adoption rates for mobile devices will continue to increase as the connectivity between devices increases (see figure 3). To stay relevant, York Region’s web mapping must be adaptable to new mobile devices, supporting whatever technical interfaces future devices utilize. Figure 2: Changes in smartphone market share over 3 years.

Figure 3: Connected Mobile Devices are expected to proliferate.


The popularity of maps and location-based services has exploded. Google Maps is currently the second most used app after Facebook. Prior to 2011, Google Maps consistently ranked as the most popular app. Data accuracy and usability has proven to matter to mobile users. Apple’s decision to replace Google Maps with Apple Maps on iOS devices caused an outcry. As a result Apple reinstated Google Maps on iOS 6. In general, web mapping users are proving unwilling to settle for a web mapping experience they deem to be substandard. This means web mapping services have to be accurate and easy-to-use if they are to be successful.

In the coming years, the current wave of smartphone and tablet adoption is going to be followed by an era of wearable and embedded technologies (see Figure 4).

WAVE THREE:INTERNET OF ALLConfluence of Commodity Internet, The Internet of Things and advanced network applications

WAVE TWO:INDIVIDUAL/SOCIALGeneral, Commercially Available

WAVE ONE:RESEARCH/ACADEMICSRestricted Access for military and academic use

1968-1981 1982-2012 2013+

Mainframe, Mini Personal, Mobile, Cloud Wearable, Embedded

Figure 4: Embedded and Wearable as the next internet trends. Source:


Will maps be a significant feature of these new wearable and embedded technologies? Will maps be used increasingly as part of an augmented reality? How can these new technologies be used to improve York Region’s business processes? How can York Region position itself to support these new technologies as they become mainstream?

Cloud-based computing is being embraced by many businesses as a means of reducing information technology costs. Amazon, Google and other hosts provide the servers and the software, and periodically upgrade the software so the user barely notices the change. Cloud-based GIS services have emerged since 2012, and are rapidly maturing. York Region has a pilot project for web-based story maps that appear as part of the York.ca website. There is significant potential to explore with cloud-based GIS services.

More attention is now being paid to information analytics, finding patterns by bringing together different datasets. Often talked about as “Big Data”, information analytics pose challenges for capture, curation, storage, search, sharing, transfer, analysis, and visualization of information. Much of this data is linked to geography and we must make the geographic content available in formats that are amenable to being combined with other sources of information.

The strategy for delivering content is changing to one that supports this wide variety of uses and applications. Rather than building custom applications that support certain browsers, operating systems, or devices, we have to build a web mapping platform that supports all of the above. Mobile-enabling the workforce will help to streamline workflows and increase worker efficiency resulting in improved customer service. The public will be able to access York Region information from any device.

Web Mapping as a Collaborative PlatformTo deliver sophisticated web mapping, different parties are increasingly working together. Collaboration and openness to information from external sources are growing trends. One dimension moving towards this is governments publishing their data so others can use it. One of the key goals of Open Data is to find novel ways to provide information and services to residents. Government organizations produce a wealth of data and maps as part of providing services. In the Open Data era, this authoritative data is valued by a variety of customers and applications in an online, connected, social world.

“Open Data is the natural resource of the 21st century” Treasury Board President Tony Clement

PRINCIPLE:Build web mapping platforms that support all devices, without customizing for each device type


Data is just the starting point of collaboration. In the future many web applications and tools will not be created directly by government. The City of Ottawa, for example, has the Apps4Ottawa contest, targeted at application developers, who create new applications based on combining Ottawa’s data with data from other sources. New York City runs a similar BigApps contest to generate new applications for residents and city staff to use. Twelve US cities are already contributing Health Inspection data to Yelp, the popular business directory application, to enrich restaurant listings. Government organizations are becoming active contributors and benefactors in the modern Internet.

Open Data is more than just a web site with datasets; ultimately it is a functioning, active part of the Internet with programming interfaces for developers who create applications for end users. Being an active part of the connected world means York Region web mapping content can participate in applications created by partner local municipalities, other government and non-governmental agencies, and those created within the private sector (see Figure 5).

York Region’s web mapping content must be openly architected to be available to other applications, be searchable, ready to be embedded, and ubiquitous, while conforming to available standards. Equally, York Region’s web mapping must be able to incorporate content from other sources, whether this content is generated by local municipal partners, the Provincial or Federal governments, other agencies, the private sector or from the public through crowd-sourcing forums and social media.

PRINCIPLE:Web mapping content must be available to other applicationsYork Region’s web mapping must be able to incorporate content from other sources

Figure 5: York Region web mapping content can be used in applications created by other agencies

YorkGIS Data

Gov2Gov

Gov2SearchEngine

Gov2PublicGov2Apps

Gov2Partner

Gov2WebMap

Platforms


In the Geographic information Services Branch we first serve the information needs of Regional staff, in support of their program delivery to the residents of York Region. We also provide services to our local municipal partners through web mapping. York Region residents and other internet users also benefit from the Region’s web mapping. Our client base has many constituents with different web mapping needs.

Ways we Serve our Customers

Web and Map Services

Some services are foundational, such as imagery, street, and terrain basemaps. Other services include individual layers of information like business locations, parcels, and recreation facilities or even geocoding services. All of these services can be leveraged by multiple applications to help solve business problems.

Applications

Many customers are interested in specific tools and applications that help them in their daily activities. These tools and applications can help to accomplish tasks such as reviewing a subdivision plan or road occupancy permit. Other times it can be a parent looking for a licensed day care close to his or her new job.

Serve


Business Analytics

For business functions ranging from managing infrastructure to tracking crime, geographic data is integrated into business solutions and made available through applications such as YorkMaps. For example, GIS data from partners is important for modeling wastewater inflow and infiltration in York Region and neighbouring municipalities.

Data

The Region is increasingly moving into the world of live data (e.g. Traffic, Weather) and data that is processed on the fly. A wide variety of projects require GIS data on local computers and servers. We facilitate data sharing with partners and the public using modern applications and tools that give customers choices in the way they can download and use GIS data.

Challenges Keeping Current With Internet TrendsIn the early days of GIS and mapping, paper maps were provided to our customers. As GIS technology evolved, and the needs of our customers greatly expanded, the way we serve customers has also changed. Today’s needs are more complex and multi-faceted. We serve a broad constituency with growing needs for information in their daily lives. The Geographic Information Services Branch’s customers expect over-the-web access to information, and would like to be able to find it using a variety of devices. Our users are typical of internet users in general, in that they will turn to alternate sources of information if access is not quick enough, easy enough, or available on their preferred device (see Figure 6). Unfortunately the information available from other sources can be less credible for York Region’s purposes. So we need to adapt our services to maintain and expand our user base, ensuring the right information is used.


Being able to find information is crucial. Search is the most common source of internet traffic. Increasingly, people want to search by location, so accurate and alternate place names matter. More advanced searches are able to incorporate proximity.

Self-Service, Simplicity, Search and SpeedYork Region web mapping users expect access to mapping data on their device wherever they are. Customers want to complete tasks quickly with just a few clicks and get on with their day. Self-service and simplicity are important goals that the Region is actively pursuing as part of this strategy.

• Discoverability

� Customers must be able to easily find the maps, apps, and data we provide

� No wrong entry means maps and data should be accessible internally across the corporation and made discoverable by popular search engines on the web

• Usability

� Mimic what customers already know and use a common platform across the corporation whenever possible

� Intuitive design that does not require extensive training

� Customers expect their web experiences to be responsive applications that perform to current industry standards

Geographic analysis of program information currently is done by Geographic Information Services Branch staff on behalf of different business units. This is still largely done by accessing the spatial data warehouse directly from a desktop personal computer. Over time, we aim to move some analytic capability into a web-based environment, so that users can self-serve for analysis. This will likely involve some level of cloud-based services.

In the next three years we will:• Serve out the Region’s maps, applications and spatial information with a focus on

discoverability and usability for self-service access

• Work to enable our customers to self-serve on the web with support for mobile devices. The goal is for customers to complete their tasks and access the spatial information (maps, data, applications) they require within a web mapping environment, independent of device-type

• Increase analytic capacity within a self-service web mapping environment

PRINCIPLE:Information in YorkMaps should be easy to �nd, easy to use, and provide a good web experience

Figure 6: Internet trends


Technology is always changing and providing new business opportunities. As a Region we are managing the technical evolution of web mapping systems to support our customers. Disruptive technologies such as mobile, cloud and big data are things that the Region can capitalize on through innovation to drive change.

As web mapping evolves, the Geographic Information Services Branch is:

• Becoming more integrated into business applications

• Providing data visualization from more and more sources

• Distributing the ownership and management of business datasets

• Supporting an increasing number of applications and devices

• Providing our clients with more value-added analysis

Web Mapping ArchitectureWeb mapping is dependent on the technical architecture and computers that the Geographic Information Services Branch manages in conjunction with the Information Technology Services Branch. Several layers of software and computer systems operate between GIS data and its presentation on the various devices used by stakeholders (see Figure 7). Making changes at one level in this system can have profound impacts at other levels of the data publishing environment. This can include the loss of particular features that stakeholders like to use, so technical choices must be made carefully, and new software and hardware implementations rigourously tested.

Evolve

Figure 7: The connection between GIS data and web mapping users is mediated through several tiers of software and computer systems.

York RegionSta�

PublicAccess

YorkInfoPartners

Partner Data York RegionData

3rd PartyData Partners

3rd PartyData

Consumers

Map Services DataServices Catalogue/Search Mobile

Services

YorkMaps Open Data CorporateApplications

MobileApplications

York RegionContractors User Groups

Flow

of D

ata

Applications

GIS Server

Data Publishing

Data Management


The Region’s web mapping infrastructure is based on Esri’s ArcGIS Server. There are many computers involved in hosting the websites, routing the map requests, and serving the maps. Since 2000, the Region has grown from one map server supporting a single type of interactive map, to over 20 servers supporting web mapping and locational services in different formats for a wide variety of business purposes. Figure 8 shows the current technical architecture at a high level.

Figure 8: High-level web mapping technical architecture.


With the trend towards cloud hosting solutions, it is likely that a mix of internal and external hosted solutions will reduce the number of internal GIS servers and allow staff to focus on providing enhanced services and value-added analytics. Cloud-based GIS services are steadily improving, and costs are getting more reasonable. Moving to cloud-based GIS services such as ArcGIS.com will potentially mean fewer resources required to load and maintain web mapping software, and monitor and maintain GIS servers. This fits with the Information Technology Services Branch prescription to give preference to cloud-based solutions.

Taking Advantage of Technical OpportunityAs additional business needs for new locational information, or integration of GIS data into business processes and systems emerge, the Geographic Information Services Branch evaluates how they will work in relation to existing technical architecture. Sometimes business need drives the evaluation, sometimes technical opportunity presents a way to improve an existing process (see Figure 9).

Figure 9: The cycle for evaluating new web mapping software and hardware.

Whatwe have

What’s the

business need?What’s missing?

What’sthe cost?

Recom

mendat

ions

Imple

menta

tion


We aim to continually improve the Region’s technical web mapping infrastructure to better support users and business processes. This process of continual improvement is managed from the evaluation and introduction of new technologies through to the subsequent retirement of older technologies they are replacing. For new technology, longevity, implementation and maintenance costs are key evaluation criteria. In some cases the older technology is maintained alongside the new technology, as we leverage supported low-cost, mature technologies. Overall, the Geographic Information Services Branch aims to implement systems that support the Region’s strategic direction wherever possible, only implementing tactical technology choices when absolutely required for critical business purposes.

Because the implementation time for new web mapping technologies is often six months or more, the Geographic Information Services Branch regularly evaluates web mapping technologies as they emerge. Table 1 shows the current status for implementation and availability of key web mapping technologies.

A primary example of evolution is a class of interactive maps based on Flex, a program that runs on personal computers, and may run on some Android devices, but does not run on Apple’s iOS, and so does not meet the requirement for being able to run on mobile devices. When it was adopted, Flex was the best available technology, and it has been the core of YorkMaps for the past four years. In the future this web mapping application should be retired in favour of a web mapping platform that will support all devices and browsers, at multiple screen sizes. Geographic Information Services Branch will evaluate alternative technologies to support this evolution.

PRINCIPLE:Continuous improvement requires on-going evaluationof emerging web mapping technologies


Table 1: Existing web mapping technologies implemented in York Region (as of January 2014), newly available and emerging technology options.

Technology Implemented Available Emerging

Web Map Server, Cloud Services

ArcGIS Server 10.1 ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS Online Google Maps Engine

ArcGIS Server 10.2 ArcGIS Online

Configurable Web Apps

Geocortex Essentials YorkMaps Story Maps Google Maps for York.ca

ArcGIS Online ArcGIS Templates for Gov

Google Maps Engine

YorkMaps Flex Viewer HTML5/JavaScript

Smartphone/Tablet Apps

Geocortex Essentials (HTML5) Google Maps

HTML5/Native App and/or web Apps Google Earth/Coordinate

ArcGIS

Open Data Catalog/Search/Data Delivery

Voyager/FME Server

Corporate Applications - GIS Integrated Systems

CityWorks Maximo IPACS IIP Enghouse

Archibus GDIMS RIVA Microsoft Bl

Esri Maps for Sharepoint

Corporate Applications - Mobile Integrated GIS

GOSync ArcGIS Mobile

HTML5, Native apps and/or Web CityWorks

ArcGIS for Mobile Runtime Fieldworker

Search Indexing GeoXMF Accelerator, Voyager

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Federated Indexing

Web Publishing - Basemap

ArcGIS Server Community Maps

Google Maps Open Street Map

Web Editing Employment Suvey Vision 2051

Geocortex, ArcGIS 10.1, ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS 10.2

Locators (Geocoding) York Locator Services Google/Bing/Esri ArcGIS 10.2 Locator Services

Location Analytics Envision York Maps

Business Analyst Esri tools for Hadoop Tableau


In the next three years we will:• Embrace device agnostic technologies in support of the widest range of browsers

and mobile devices possible, creating “responsive” web applications.

• Evaluate web mapping technologies against a set of criteria on a bi-annual basis to take advantage of emerging and available web GIS technologies.

• Embrace innovation within GIS and the corporation by developing a framework for evaluating and implementing new ideas and emerging technologies.

• Continue to integrate web GIS with business systems.

• Continually evaluate cloud hosting options such as ArcGIS Online or Amazon EC2 running ArcGIS Server with the aim of reducing in-house infrastructure resources.


GIS technology and maps bring together data from multiple sources and help us to understand complex situations. Maps are a powerful tool for situational awareness and collaboration. Web mapping transforms business processes by providing better access to information and streamlining workflows. New web mapping technology coupled with social media offers the possibility of transforming how the Region does its business, particularly in relation to engagement with residents.

Web Mapping as a Tool for EngagementThe potential for collaboration through connected devices is unprecedented. Crowd-sourcing is becoming a real alternative to traditional ways of collecting field data. In the past, after a powerful storm government employees drove the countryside looking for damage to public and private infrastructure. Now, based on photos, video, and other information posted as public contributions through social media and the Internet, it is possible to evaluate storm damage and plan response activities without the traditional time-consuming field-based data gathering activities.

Transform

Figure 10: Vision 2051 Community Consultation Map.


The Vision 2051 Community Consultation Map provides an example of crowd-sourcing in the York Region context (see Figure 10). The map allowed residents of York Region to post notes and web links at locations that were of particular interest to them. These place-based notes helped facilitate an online discussion and input into York Region’s Vision 2051 document. Web mapping technology helped make residents’ contributions to the process more specific, and enabled others to validate or comment on input from other residents. This made it easier to see where there was consensus, and where people had particular issues.

As the focus of citizen engagement moves to the web, we need to capitalize on key themes such as crowdsourcing and customer engagement.

Collaboration as TransformationSocial media tools have empowered ordinary people to respond to each other in times of crisis. Collaboration between agencies is another way web mapping is transforming how emergency response is handled. Public safety personnel and elected officials in other jurisdictions are now frequently using these tools to communicate with the media and the public. York Region is using web mapping technology to develop a Common Operating Picture that enables people in different physical locations to see the same situation on a map, access social media, and input their own response plans for emergency situations. This project is currently in a pilot phase, and has been used for a Regional Emergency Exercise (see Figure 11). This type of application provides a model the Region can use for other collaborative web mapping applications.

74% of smartphone owners use their phone to get real-time location-based information, and 18% use a geosocial service to “check in” to certain locations or share their location with friends.Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project 2012

Figure 11: York Region’s Pilot Common Operating Picture as demonstrated during the spring 2013 Regional emergency exercise.


Behind applications such as Common Operating Picture, there is a different kind of collaboration that is equally transforming. Developing this kind of collaborative application requires that the agencies work together so that the information generated in one agency is available to be used at another. The Region worked with Environment Canada to ensure that weather information could be consumed by York Region’s Common Operating Picture.

We will share code and template applications with our partner organizations, explore common cloud-based resources, and embed our content and data wherever possible. Engagement, connection, and collaboration are all possible given the web mapping technologies that are available today.

To fulfil the potential of web mapping collaboration, changes to production systems are required, to enhance co-ordination between groups. This becomes less of a technical exercise, requiring focus on:

• Relationship management

• Training and knowledge transfer

• Coordinated application releases

• Active change management processes

The way forward requires the Geographic Information Services Branch to increase our engagement with partners, application developers, residents, and businesses in the Region to enable a region-wide-web of technologies. This is an orchestrate-and-participate world, where relationships are paramount (see Figure 12). Web mapping and data exchange relationships are needed with the public, other government agencies, private sector develops, and with systems.

PRINCIPLE:Collaborate with public through crowd-sourcing and social media.Collaborate with other agencies and private sector to create aweb mapping ecosystem forthe Region.


Figure 12: Relationships are key to taking advantage of the collaborative opportunities of web mapping.

The Transformation - Changing the Approach

• Content available in my app on my device• Access to Regional services and data anywhere, anytime• Self-service, simplicity, speed

Gov2Public

• Orchestrate successful public-private relationships• Shared data and services in partner apps• Shared apps and user experiences

Gov2Partner

• Shared data and services• Strong partnerships and collaboration• Shared apps and user experiences• Region-wide not “York Region”

Gov2Gov

• Engage the devloper/startup community• Provide the Open Data Platform• Communicate opportunities and enable a marketplace• Provide funding and grant coordination

Gov2Apps

• Data and services discoverable in user search results• Authoritative data and apps• Search Engine Optimization (SEO), placement of search results

Gov2SearchEngine

• Use the Cloud• Actively participate in platforms by providing data and other content• Measure investments and returns in online platforms

Gov2WebMapPlatforms


In the next three years we will:• Foster engagement by developing crowd-sourcing technology, situational

awareness and live data feeds.

• Further develop an Open Data and information discovery platform.

• Capitalize on code sharing, cloud resources, template applications and mobile apps with our partners and third parties.


GIS maps and data are part of internal and external business processes and are integrated into critical systems. Increasingly this integration is accomplished through web mapping services. It is important therefore that web mapping services are available at all times, and do not fail. If the applications are not working then people are not able to perform the tasks central to their business operations.

Maintaining Web Mapping ServicesEnsuring that web mapping services are available at all times is primarily a function of server architecture. Servers are the core of the Region’s web mapping services. The architecture includes database servers, application servers, and map servers, as well as sophisticated developer interfaces and monitoring services. The architecture includes parallel development, test, and production environments.

Software upgrades that enable new mapping capabilities to be exploited become complex activities when all the servers have to be upgraded synchronously. The current architecture includes support for two different versions of ArcGIS Server, because other corporate applications such as Maximo and Cityworks, work order systems used by the Environmental Services Department and the Transportation and Community Planning Department, are dependent on particular versions on ArcGIS Server. Keeping both versions of ArcGIS Server running concurrently imposes a greater maintenance effort. As GIS web mapping services evolve, the specific versions should not be as important. This will reduce the number of servers required, and the overall maintenance and support required.

Increasing web mapping service reliability includes optimizing how software is balanced across multiple servers, so no server in the chain becomes overloaded.

Advancements in online/cloud map services such as ArcGIS.com have also been steadily improving. Cloud-based map server technologies offer an alternative for on-premise GIS server maintenance, and we will continue to explore these options as they mature and become cost-effective.

Customization of web mapping services, entailing software coding to provide specific features, requires significant resources, and often consultant engagement. While the return on investment in terms of enabling business processes can be high, customization imposes additional effort when software upgrades are required. Frequently the customized code must be revised to work with the new ArcGIS Server software. To avoid this on-going maintenance effort, we will pursue available ”off-the-shelf” web and mobile apps, keeping the long-term costs and maintenance effort in mind. We will consider contracting/funding/partnering the development of new apps by external developers as an alternative to in-house customization where practical, so that the on-going maintenance effort lies with the external developers.

Implement & Maintain


Customizing mobile web mapping services in particular should be avoided. There is a substantial industry creating applications for mobile devices. Our approach should be to use externally developed applications wherever possible, utilizing the collaborative possibilities to their fullest extent.

For web mapping embedded in the York.ca portal, web co-ordinators will be responsible for creating mapping content using tools provided to mash-ups that combine Google maps with York Region geographic content. Using this method, driving directions from Google web mapping services can be combined with Regional content with limited support required from the Geographic Information Services Branch.

Implementing Collaboration and Search Engine Optimization In the collaborative space of web mapping, where applications are shared between agencies, and mapping content is combined with content from other sources, not all content users will come directly through the York.ca website.

In developing the Region’s collaborative presence, we need to publish content in a way that it is discoverable and useful in the apps, social media platforms, search engines and webpages that people are already using, as well as in the apps that have yet to be developed. We also need to publish content so that it is accessible to Open Data developers.

To make this happen the Region needs to get content into search results on major platforms such as Google and Bing. Participating in programs such as ESRI’s Community Maps and Google Places will enrich content in the places that our citizens actively search. York Region needs to revise the approach of delivering web mapping content into the apps and user interfaces that our partners and other stakeholders want to use. For this the Region needs to engage with our partners, and with the web mapping and application developer community, through such channels as Open Data developer groups, and directly with private businesses where appropriate.

PRINCIPLE:Ensure that York Region web mapping content is accessible through search enginesEngage the web mapping developer community to get York Region content into apps


In the next three years we will:• Evolve web server architecture and migrate to newer more broad-based web

platforms while ensuring existing business application functionality is maintained.

• Continue to embed web-based mapping functionality into business applications and make maps available across the corporate web.

• Actively participate in Search Engine Optimization and programs that put Regional data into the hands of people from where they want to consume it. (e.g. Esri’s Community Maps Program, Google Places).


Technological advances in web mapping have changed user expectations and how individuals choose to access information. This strategy embodies an ongoing process of evaluating, implementing, sustaining, and retiring successive waves of technologies. Over the next three years, the emphasis will be on enabling mobile access to web mapping content and building web mapping content as a collaborative platform.

This web strategy looked at four broad themes, enabling the Region to respond strategically to the changing face of web mapping technology while providing an engaging user experience. The four themes are as follows:

• Serve – customer service

• Evolve – evolving with technology

• Transform – helping the organization transform the way it does business

• Implement and Maintain – The plan for implementation and ongoing support.

A key element of this strategy is the development of a collaborative web mapping platform, allowing data to be served out to our customers regardless of which technology they choose to use. A second key element is focusing on enabling access to location-based information using mobile devices. To meet these challenges we need to change the way we make our information available, embracing new web mapping technologies, cloud-based services, search engine optimization, and social media. We will provide ways to access location-based government services that will improve York Region’s capacity to deliver services to residents.

We invite you to provide your feedback. For general inquiries you can contact us at [email protected]

Summary

Figure 13: The Geographic Information Services Branch is focused on achieving results through relationships

GIS Branch

Relationships

Results

WEB MAPPING STRATEGY 2014GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SERVICES BRANCH

For more information contact:

Geographic Information ServicesThe Regional Municipality of York

17250 Yonge StreetNewmarket, Ontario L3Y 6Z1

Telephone: 905-830-4444 ext. 71555Toll-Free: 1-877-464-9675

Fax: 905-895-3482Email: [email protected]

Website: www.york.ca

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