The Public Works Geographic Information Systems Team (GIS)
The GIS Team is composed of a small staff, that provides mapping support and spatial analysis services to all the divisions within the Public Works Department. Primarily tasked with the development of the Public Works Enterprise Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the team helps provide cost-saving solutions to the various projects and intiatives that are geographic in nature.
Our Goal
We are dedicated to advancing the automation and modernization of infrastructure and asset management practices and leveraging existing "location-based" projects to maximize their use across participating agencies.
What is GIS?
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a computer-based information system that enables the capture, storage, manipulation, retrieval, analysis, and display of spatial data.
GASB34
The Public Works GIS Team was tasked with developing and implementing the compliance of the GASB34 initiative for the Department of Public Works. By choosing to leverage our data for departmental assets into a GIS system, we have the capability to integrate the information into many other parallel applications like financial, maintenance, and mapping needs for years to come.
Public Works Enterprise GIS
The Public Works Enterprise GIS is a multi-faceted program that supports and promotes coordinated "location-based" data development and access to county employees. It exemplifies the definition of an "enterprise system" through a series of coordinated information gathering and sharing activities conducted by the 5 divisions of the Public Works Department.
Public Works GIS Technical Committee
The Department of Public Works GIS Technical Committee is a group comprised of the Divisional Technicians involved with GIS projects and activities. The Public Works GIS Technical Committee gathers monthly to discuss current GIS projects and applications in the department. The Public Works GIS Technical Committee serves as a core group of technical oriented individuals dedicated to maintain spatial data and applications to assist participating agencies and the general public. With a focus on providing GIS services, the GIS Technical Committee is an enabling organization that establishes technical standards through consensus and facilitates GIS education through "technology transfer." In addition to being a mechanism to improve "location-based" data management, the GIS Technical Committee facilitates strategic decision-making and leverages existing GIS expertise.
Public Works Enterprise GIS Standards: A Framework for Geospatial Data
The Public Works GIS Technical Committee has created a framework that will allow GIS to continue to develop and grow within the department. This framework consists of standardized base map layers, department policies for the collection of spatial data and use of GPS technology, identification of minimum data elements to be included in data layers, and guidelines for documenting information about the data (metadata).
The goal of the Public Works GIS Enterprise standards is to insure that geospatial data are efficiently collected, used and shared. GIS standards are there to ease interpretation of a map, to agree upon a description of content and format of data, and to transfer data from a producer to the user and allow both to interpret the information in the same way.
The Public Works Enterprise GIS follows the Federal Geographic Data Committee standards on spatial data accuracy as well as metadata requirements.
Datum and Coordinate System Standard
The intent of this standard is to minimize the effort required to use data collected from various sources in Santa Barbara County. Specifically, the intent is to minimize the number of datum and map projection/coordinate systems combinations in use. The intent is not to require data providers to convert old data to new coordinate systems, but rather to make clear a preferred set of standards which make sense and provide maximum utility for new technologies.