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Project Goal
The GIS department in Franklin County, PA started out feeling like we were always fighting fires and were just "the people who made maps." This project evolved with the idea of moving the GIS program from being reactive to becoming proactive and putting in the tools and structure necessary to gather information on resources, priorities, capabilities, and needs, and then communicate that to all levels of the county.Business Problem Solved
Staff were not being included in projects upfront, not receiving requested resources, and lacked the ability to measure or communicate the value of a GIS department within the county. Goals and long term projects were often pushed aside because of other requests that required more effort and attention than submitters realized. Issues occurred when those submitting projects struggled with direction and objectives, when there was a lack of communication between GIS and the departments, and because of a misunderstanding of GIS capabilities and resources.
Technology Implemented
Using a combination of survey123 forms, dashboards, arcpy, and StoryMaps, tools were put into place to start capturing requests, capacity, areas of support, and more. This then led to the implementation of project management techniques and more advanced tools and applications to start managing and allocating resources.
Story Maps, Community Analyst, Dashboards, and Experiences were used to communicate throughout the organization to build awareness and to educate on GIS capabilities. This then led to tools for handling requests and project prioritization. ArcGIS Portal and Sites are being used to give employees access to GIS resources and updates on pertinent information regarding projects and updates.
Development Team Biography
Kara Shindle, GISP - GIS Director- Kara became the County GIS Director in 2018. She earned her GISP in 2021 and a Master’s in GIS in 2023. She is passionate about automation, project management and loves talking about GIS!
Sarah Benshoff - GIS Lead Analyst– Sarah joined the County in 2006 and has developed a love for 911 & Emergency Management. She started when the County was at Phase 0 for E911 and will soon go live with NG911. She loves maps and aerial imagery, especially seeing how things have changed.
Jennifer Straub - GIS Analyst- Jennifer joined the County in 2022 and was promoted to GIS Analyst, specializing in Land Records, in 2023. She has a minor in GIS and Master's in Geography. She loves working with new ways to visualize spatial data, historical research and cool old maps.
Aaron Stone - GIS Technician- Aaron came to the County in 2023. He earned a BS in Environmental Science with a GIS focus. His interests are cartography, web app development and using programming in GI