Technology

Technology is becoming a key tool in regional development. These projects and programs illustrate techniques regional development organizations are using to reduce community costs, improve public safety and provide access, technical assistance and accurate data sources.

Limited map access, impossible map mobility, inaccuracies and the absence of smart growth planning in on-site land use decision-making led the South Georgia Regional Development Center and partners to develop Mobile GIS for Development Permitting. The project equips permitting officials with pocket PCs that include ArcPad software and GIS data, giving the officials access to regional maps and ability to make accurate on-site decisions in accordance with community environmental preservation plans.

InfoMentum, a program of the Appalachian Council of Governments, in South Carolina, is a catalyst for coordination of regional GIS activities and data partnerships.

The Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs’ GIS unit created a software program to Provide Digital Spatial Data to Regional Planning Agencies, giving agencies the ability to easily analyze and include spatial data into development planning. Planning agency staff received software training and guidance on how to incorporate spatial data into daily activities, e.g. analyzing neighborhood demographics for grant applications. The software is built on Excel and ArcView and operates in a Windows environment.

Buffalo Trace Area Development District, in Kentucky, accomplished the Fleming County Mapping project by using a Global Positioning System (GPS) to collect and record road centerlines and precise locations. A building/ structures database was developed containing pictures, resident information, parcel boundaries and distance- based addresses. This mapping resource enables the county to upgrade its emergency response system that determines precise land line and mobile phone call locations. Overall costs were $40,000 to $50,000.

Eight of nine counties in the Kentuckiana Regional Planning and Development Agency (KIPDA), region do not have the technology or support staff needed to create their own geographic data. To fill the gap, KIPDA created a Regional Geographic Information System (GIS). The agency worked with local elected officials and utilities to assess data needs and compile information, ensuring usefulness of data and future updates. The resulting benefits include improved decision-making, effective community planning and emergency response upgrades.

Services provided by Arrowhead Regional Development Commission’s Local Government GIS Staffing Assistance program, located in Minnesota, for the seven-county region include software training, data management, spatial analysis and cartographics. Most services are performed on-site and require a significant amount of travel, because requests primarily come from rural areas where technology and staff are often absent. In one case, the commission’s GIS staff must travel 160 miles three days out of each month.

The Broadband on the Farm project is the outcome of the Minnesota Northwest Regional Development Commission’s quest to identify and fill gaps in regional high-speed broadband services. One project product has been the rural community of Red River Valley’s new high-speed, two-way Internet connectivity through “fixed wireless” technology. The connection offers speeds of up to 1,024kbs. Grants and in-kind services totaling $51,600, were received from the state, Rural Access, Inc. and Halstad Telephone Company.

Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments in South Carolina is using its Regional Building Permits Analysis project as a smart growth, planning tool. A data collection of the region’s building permit applications will be entered into Microsoft Access and used to make Geographic Information Systems (GIS) map layers. Planners will use the map layers to see current growth patterns, e.g. new subdivision development, to determine responsive land use, capital improvement planning and economic development opportunities.

InfoMentum provides a decision support system to aid regional marketing, industrial recruitment, and economic development in upstate South Carolina. It combines a customized Geographic Information System (GIS) application with an extensive socio-economic database and industrial property inventories. A public/private board representing county governments, private sector entities, and the Appalachian Council of Governments has provided project funding and direction. InfoMentum is a catalyst for coordination of regional GIS activities and data partnerships.

LENOWISCO Planning District Commission’s LENOWISCO RAN (Rural Area Network Broadband Initiative), in southwest Virginia, is preparing the region for future cluster based developments. The initiative proposes to ensure regional, reliable and affordable broadband services by developing a local private-based, high speed telecommunications network. One public service authority has already agreed to route fiber-optic cable inside water trenches. Virginia Tobacco settlement funds will be used for seamless connectivity to Tennessee and partnering Cumberland Plateau Planning District.

Virginia’s Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission, in partnership with the Lord Fairfax Community College, developed Community Applied Information Technology (CAIT) to implement the Technology Deployment element of the region’s 1997 Strategic Plan. CAIT teams, community college students, work with client agencies to develop technology solutions. There is no cost to client agencies. Students will have the opportunity to earn tuition for follow-up projects. The Commission provides operational funding via an Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) grant for workforce development.

South Georgia Regional Development Center, Mobile GIS for Development Permitting. Contact: John Leonard or Chris Strom, 327 W. Savannah Ave., Valdosta, GA 31601; 229/333-5277 ext. 142; fax 229/333-5312; email cstrom@sgrdc.com;
web www.sgrdc.com