Economic development using AM/FM/GIS data
Philip S. Worrall
General Manager, IDS
930 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Many local governments and utility companies have invested millions of dollars in the design,
development and deployment of advanced AM/FM/GIS solutions to address engineering,
operations and maintenance needs of their infrastructure. Through simple GIS data distribution
initiatives they can now also take advantage of this data asset to promote economic development
in their area through increased data access, increased efficiency and cost savings, and improved
public/customer service. Several case studies demonstrating both public and private sector
initiatives will be presented at the conference.
What is economic development?
Economic development is the process to attracting, stimulating and maintaining business activity
in a region. Several key goals of economic development from a local government perspective
include:
- Create more and better jobs for local residents
- Generate additional tax base
- Improve the infrastructure
- Stabilize the community
From a utility company perspective, several economic development goals include:
- Expand customer base (generate additional commercial/industrial customers)
- Improve and grow the utility (infrastructure)
- Provide better customer service (establish brand loyalty through faster, better and value-added services)
- Keep utility costs competitive (do more with less)
The use of GIS data to promote economic development
One rule of economic development is that:
“Economic Development follows Infrastructure”
Today, utilities and local governments are maintaining vast amounts of AM/FM/GIS
infrastructure data, so it is logical that this GIS data is an important resource to promote
economic development activities. The proliferation of WindowsTM-based PCs and the
availability of low-cost and easy-to-use Desktop GIS and GIS Viewer/Browser software is
enabling GIS data to become a mainstream asset as it becomes more widely available for a larger
number of uses and users.
What are some of the benefits of using GIS data to assist in economic development? For the
local government, the use of GIS data in all aspects of decision making affecting the
environment, infrastructure improvements, service delivery, public safety, as well as economic
development are important. Some specific examples include:
- help coordinate development activities through use of a common / shared digital map
base
- help balance the demand of land for both traditional and new uses within a region
- help capitalize on any inherent competitive advantage, such as existing commercial/industrial land resources, a key transportation corridor, availability of
natural resources, etc... within the region
For utilities, the use of GIS data for economic development can provide a competitive advantage
by:
- becoming more competitive in responding to requests for information (improved customer service)
- targeting marketing areas
- targeting siting decisions
- promoting the GIS data as a strategic resource to encourage businesses to locate in your area
From the customers perspective, the availability and use of GIS data by these organizations
results in:
- speeds up the planning process
- help businesses locate land well suited to their needs
- quickly identi~ land with available infrastructure capacity
- quickly identi~ land with lower infrastructure development costs
- investigate more potential sites with the same resources
- spend less time searching for data and more time analyzing and making better decisions
- sends a “development friendly” message to prospective customers
GIS data for economic development
Building GIS base data to meet the engineering, operations and maintenance needs of a local
government or utility often develops a solid base of infrastructure data for use in economic
development. Usable GIS vector graphics can range from a simple street centerline address
range base map for geocoding properties, to engineering-detailed mapping of infrastructure,
cultural features, topography, administrative boundaries, land use, and zoning data. Digital
orthophotography and terrestrial photography when available are valuable data components to
the economic development process.
Report or tabular data is also an important component to the process. Report data maybe related
to an area and not necessarily to specific geocoded locations. Information on population
housing, income, employment, growth, trends, etc... are important to the process. Obviously,
having this data geocoded within a GIS can offer significant pinpoint demographics to facilitate
the planning process, but geocoding is not mandatory to facilitate the process.
Economic development case studies
City of Indianapolis
- Downtown Corridor Improvement Project
- GIS Data Public Distribution
Illinois Power Company
- Improved Customer Service using GIS data
- Shared Land Base (local government cooperates to develop and maintain a common GIS land base.
|