Every year the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs receive a significant amount of snowfall from December to March. With large amounts of snowfall comes the need to keep roads free of snow and ice so that they can remain safe and drivable. Although some suburban communities have experimented with sand as an applicant for better traction, almost all communities use salt to melt snow and ice, the City of Park Ridge is no exception.
Although the city provides their residents with an excellent service of snow and ice removal, this service tends to consume a large volume of salt. In addition, because snow can fall at an alarming rate, it is a tough for the Public Works Department to track how much salt they are using in comparison with how much they estimated for the year. In order to help with this issue, the Geographic Information System (GIS) Department provided the Public Works Department with accurate street lengths for all salting routes within the city based on an existing digital street file. The GIS department also provided estimates for all intersections that get salted along established salting routes and all major intersections around school boundaries.
The idea of collecting the linear street lengths for all routes and route intersections was to have a benchmark for what amount of salt would be needed to cover these routes in the event of a two-inch snowfall. Although all storms are not created equal, having an estimated figure in comparison to the real amount of salt used would not only help the Public Works Department keep track of each ton of salt dispersed, it would also help with them with future predictions of how much salt needs to be ordered. By understanding what amount of salt is used in comparison to what is predicted, the Public Works Department could be more prepared for the amount of salt they need to initially order or re-order in the middle of a season. Having these figures could also assist with the budgeting process when the Public Works Director is asked to provide an estimated figure for future cost expenditures, especially when salt prices are on the rise.
Although this a quick example, it is easy to see how combining the forces of two different departments has allowed the Public Works division to utilize the resources of data stored in GIS to gain more control of their salting program. Additionally, the understanding of what the GIS Department can provide along with what the Public Works Department needs will help the two be prepared for the any changes that are introduced to the existing program.
The Village of Deerfield relies on accurate utility information in order to assist the community staff with their daily activities. For example, the Engineering Department utilizes storm sewer information to assess and resolve drainage issues as well as general pipe replacement. The Public Works Department needs accurate utility information to identify water main size, type and location to respond to water main breaks. This information has been stored in multiple locations including engineering plans, record drawings, as-built drawings, departmental files, and in the minds of seasoned staff members. The ultimate goal is to organize all this information in one centralized location that can be easily accessed by village staff for aiding in their daily workflows.
Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) is most certainly one of the better options on the market today for achieving this goal. Storing utility information from resources like as-built drawings, hand drawn maps and other sources can easily be filed into three specific databases based on whether it is a storm, sanitary, or water utility system. These individual databases contain information on the type, size and location of features including some basics as pipes and manholes for the sewer system as well as hydrants and valves for the water system. Also, over time the databases can evolve to not only store accurate asset location information but also very important engineering information including rims and inverts of various structures. Furthermore, these databases are excellent information storing devices that have the ability to link to external databases as long as a proper structure identification system is maintained.
In order to easily maintain the utility databases, field note map books are created. A field note map book is usually an atlas of pages sized as 17 x 22 inches, where the full community is broken down into multiple pages by a grid in order to present the map at a 1’=100’ scale. By using a grid based on the Professional Land Survey township system, the community can be subdivided into equalized quarter-sections (northeast, southwest). Once the community is properly split up into quarter-sections the grid number is placed on its respective field note map book page.
Using the 1’ = 100’ scale, structures such as manholes and valves can be easily distinguished and field crews can easily markup the pages for edits that need to be made to the utility system by the GIS Department. The notes section on the right of the field note map book page provide an area where field crews and engineering staff can provide comments on discrepancies between what is in the GIS and what is said to be true in the field. Utility lines and structures are labeled with their location as well as the length and other asset information. Also included on each page is a site map of the village. This allows field crews and engineering staff to quickly determine their location relative to the village.
Field note map books allow the village to collect field updates and update the utility data within the GIS system. Once changes are received, the data is input into the GIS system and new field note map book pages are created. By using field note map books, community staff can quickly see their updates added to the GIS and gain trust in the utility data they are using.
All Elk Grove Village police incidents are reported and captured in a database where they can be managed over time. The introduction of GIS in the village has provided the police department an opportunity to enhance their perception and understanding of the distribution of incidents by visually placing them on a map.
Since November of 2008, the police department has provided a monthly report of various incidents that have occurred. An address or street intersection is used to locate each reported event. Incidents being mapped include motor vehicle burglaries, residential burglaries, juvenile nuisance, criminal damage to property, thefts, stolen vehicles, traffic crashes, and hit and runs.
While viewing these map products it becomes apparent where incidents are being repeated. Geographic analysis allows for consideration of adjacent facilities, institutions, and natural features such as parks and schools that may influence these activities. Displaying this information by police beat provides additional evaluation of how active each area is and if personnel need to be distributed differently throughout those beats. The report information includes the time of the incident which could also provide insight into which areas may benefit from patrol at certain times of the day.
A chart is also developed to track the quantity of incidents over time. The chart is updated and provided every month and shows trends in the number of incidents that have occurred. Reviewing this chart provides an additional resource to consider the other factors that contribute to the police incidents. For example, the relationship between car accidents and the winter weather season or the correlation between juvenile nuisance and summer vacation from school can be inferred because those circumstances are limited to a certain part of the year. Over time, this chart could potentially provide a measure of police performance if incidents are being mitigated more effectively.
Recently a half year evaluation was conducted by compiling the data for the first six months of the year. The resulting products highlight the locations that are seeing repeated incidents and may validate a need for increased police presence.
As previously mentioned, these products have just begun to provide for increased understanding of these events and the use of GIS will continue to support the Elk Grove Village Police Department by providing decision support tools and analysis materials.
Special events, such as parades, concerts, and street fairs, require additional civil services from local government to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently. While all government departments are involved in the planning and execution of these events, the police department is responsible for enforcing city/village policies and ensuring that all participants are safe. To assist with their annual Fourth of July celebration, the Village of Winnetka Police Department started to using map products to provide more information to officers regarding the holiday’s planned events.
The Village plans three primary events for their Fourth of July holiday celebration. This includes a 5K run, parade, and a fireworks display. In the past, the Police Department issued special orders to all department members and other village departments listing the routes of the parade and 5K run, officer postings for each event, parking restrictions, etc. While these orders are helpful in providing pertinent information on police operations, they don’t provide a visual reference point of the operations to new officers or assisting officers from other communities. To help improve the transfer of information within the department and to visiting agencies, the GIS Department was asked to create a series of maps using the existing special orders documents. The maps are a supplementary tool that the department can use to improve the communication of department regulations between officers during the events.
From the special order documents, three maps were developed for the department. These maps included a parade route map, a 5K run route map, and a fireworks display operations map. While these maps are primarily intended for departmental use, a secondary function is to provide information to the general public. The maps can be posted on the Village website or in other public forums to allow residents and visitors to see parking restriction enforcement zones, road closures, and route information. Providing this information to the public allows for visitors to these events to be more informed about temporary event regulations, which helps to reduce the number of possible violations. This helps to improve the overall efficiency and operation of each event by allowing the department to focus on tasks such as traffic and crowd control rather than regulatory enforcment.
Using GIS to help develop map products for each event provides the department with a visual reference tool for conveying department regulations and policies. This helps to improve communication within the department and with the general public, which helps to ensure that each event runs more efficiently.
In 1916, the United States created the Federal-aid Highway Program with the primary objective being the improvement of rural roads. This changed with the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944, which authorized the first specific funds for urban highways, specifically the creation of a formula for the distribution of federal-aid funds among the primary, secondary, and urban systems. Today, there are three federal-aid systems: The Interstate Highway System, the Federal-aid Primary highway system (FAP), and the Federal-aid Secondary highway system. The Federal-aid Secondary highway system is broken into secondary non-urban (FAS) and secondary urban (FAU). The interstate system consists of routes connecting and running through and around major urban centers. The FAP consists of a system of connected main highways, while the FAS are composed of principal secondary and feeder routes. Both aid systems are chosen by state highway departments and local officials, but are subject to approval by the Bureau of Public Roads. Having roads designated as federal-aid means that the federal and state governments provide funds and take care of repairs instead of the community in which the road is located. This allows the local government to spend money in other areas.
The Village of Wheeling currently has 12 routes designated as either FAP or FAU. These consist of major roads throughout the village such as Palatine Road, Wolf Rd, and Milwaukee Ave. The village submitted a proposal to add 6 more roads to the Federal-Aid Urban System. These include: Anthony Road, Equestrian Drive, Lexington Drive, Manchester Drive, Northgate Parkway, and Strong Avenue. The village’s capital projects department requested that the Geographic Information System (GIS) department create a large map showing all current and proposed FAP and FAU routes as well as small 8.5” x 11” maps detailing the starting and ends of each routes with all existing traffic signals and stop signs, to be submitted for approval. This saved the department the time and effort previously required to create detailed maps by hand or using an inefficient, program.
As of May 2009, a decision has not been reached on the approval of the six routes as Federal-aid routes, but GIS provided the capital projects department an easy way to submit their proposal without spending a significant amount of time creating the maps needed for the proposal.
The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie opened its doors to the public in April 2009. Dignitaries from around the world attended the opening, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton as the keynote speaker. The opening ceremonies were attended by an estimated 12,000 people. Planning for an event like this is a difficult endeavor because timing, placement and communication all need to be shared throughout each participating agency.
The Village of Skokie’s Geographic Information System (GIS) played and integral part during security planning for this event. After meeting with members of the Village’s Police and Fire Department, it was determined that using the Village’s GIS would be beneficial to Public Safety by providing detailed imagery of the location with strategic locations of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and Police personnel overlaid on the imagery. Local, county, state, and federal agencies were all involved in this event creating the need for impeccable communication. Coordinating loading zones, parking, street closures, and agency responsibility is where GIS became involved. Highlighting each specific agency’s position and being able to overlay it on the aerial photograph proved beneficial in planning this event. Large maps were produced and handed out to each agency during the planning phase and for use during the event.
Event planning is not a simple task. When crowds reach into the thousands, safety becomes a major concern. GIS allowed the Skokie Police and Fire Departments to provide and share a wealth of information to their county, state and federal counterparts, creating a safe environment while preparing for the worst case scenarios.
Riverside has a central business district that includes a train station for the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. The railway services communities from Aurora to Chicago and is convienent for the residents of Riverside and adjacent cities and villages such as Lyons and North Riverside.
Like many communities in the Chicago Metropolitan area, having a relatively dense population near this type of public transportation creates an interesting demand and use of parking facilities. Individuals travel to the village center to work, take the train elsewhere,and or to take advantage of the local amenities. Realizing the dynamics of parking needs desired by those visitors and residents living in the town center is necessary to promote the village and these services being provided.
The Village of Riverside has used its Geographic Information System (GIS) resources to gain a unique perspective of the parking status in relation to licenses and parking permits on record. Mapping active licenses in the community allowed village staff to see where vehicles are owned and where concentrations demand more parking. The parking permit map allowed for visualization of the concentration of vehicles as well as the the type of permits being used. Furthermore, it suggests lengths of time or periods of the day those parking spaces are being utilized. Additionally, an analysis of the disparty between these two sets of information could possibly identify some violations taking place such as residents that have a license but are not obtaining a permit.
The next step in the parking evaluation will include a parking model where parking lots, spaces, and restrictions will be added to the GIS. This will assist in managing the parking facilities and regulations as well as providing insight that may highlight potential for additional parking areas and ways to make the current areas more efficient.
The Village of Lincolnshire relies on accurate utility information in order to assist the community staff with their daily activities. For example, the Engineering Department utilizes storm sewer information to assess and resolve drainage issues as well as general pipe replacement. The Public Works Department needs accurate utility information to identify water main size, type and location to respond to water main breaks. This information has been stored in multiple locations including engineering plans, record drawings, as-built drawings, departmental files, and in the minds of seasoned staff members. The ultimate goal is to organize all this information in one centralized location that can be easily accessed by village staff for aiding in their daily workflows.
Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) is most certainly one of the better options on the market today for achieving this goal. Storing utility information from resources like as-built drawings, hand drawn maps and other sources can easily be filed into three specific databases based on whether it is a storm, sanitary, or water utility system. These individual databases contain information on the type, size and location of features including some basics as pipes and manholes for the sewer system as well as hydrants and valves for the water system. Also, over time the databases can evolve to not only store accurate asset location information but also very important engineering information including rims and inverts of various structures. Furthermore, these databases are excellent information storing devices that have the ability to link to external databases as long as a proper structure identification system is maintained.
In order to easily maintain the utility databases, field note map books are created. A field note map book is usually an atlas of pages sized as 17 x 22 inches, where the full community is broken down into multiple pages by a grid in order to present the map at a 1’=100’ scale. By using a grid based on the Professional Land Survey township system, the community can be subdivided into equalized quarter-sections (northeast, southwest). Once the community is properly split up into quarter-sections the grid number is placed on its respective field note map book page.
Using the 1’ = 100’ scale, structures such as manholes and valves can be easily distinguished and field crews can easily markup the pages for edits that need to be made to the utility system by the GIS Department. The notes section on the right of the field note map book page provide an area where field crews and engineering staff can provide comments on discrepancies between what is in the GIS and what is said to be true in the field. Utility lines and structures are labeled with their location as well as the length and other asset information. Also included on each page is a site map of the village. This allows field crews and engineering staff to quickly determine their location relative to the village.
Field note map books allow the village to collect field updates and update the utility data within the GIS system. Once changes are received, the data is input into the GIS system and new field note map book pages are created. By using field note map books, community staff can quickly see their updates added to the GIS and gain trust in the utility data they are using.
Whether it is to take a shower or fill up a glass of water, people use water everyday. Although the process seems to happen without much exposure, it is definitely noticed when the water stops running. The procedures that a local community conducts in order to provide their residents with clean and useable water are something that they take seriously. In order maintain the water system, the Village of Oak Brook decided to investigate the strength of the water utility system.
When a water main break occurs in the water system, it is reported to Public Works Department, who service the break. The location and description of water main repaired is recorded on a break report sheet and the address or intersection of the break is entered into a spreadsheet. The water main breaks are then hand drawn on a map by the village engineer based off of the spreadsheet. This is a time consuming and inefficient process as information on the water main break, year, pipe material, etc. are not transferred onto the map. In order to more efficiently track the water main breaks, the village enlisted the resources of the Geographic Information System (GIS) department.
By using the tools located within the GIS, the addresses recorded for each water main break could easily be given a geographic location through a process called geocoding. Geocoding is an operation that searches a street centerline data layer and locates where an address falls on a particular street within a specific block. Once these addresses are located, they are then placed on a map in order to analyze where the most breaks occur.
Using this information, the village was able to plot the water main breaks in five year increments from 1978 to 2009. Further analysis was performed to create a map classifying the number of water main breaks per pipe segment. Soil information from the Illinois Geological Survey was overlaid onto the water main break data to determine if the soil type contributed to the water main breaks. These maps allowed Engineering and Public Works to locate the problematic areas and decide which water mains needed to be replaced.
The maps created from this project are studied and eventually brought before the budget committee when considering how much money should be allocated for fixing these problems and what areas are given higher priority. All in all, it is easy to see how taking data from a simple spreadsheet and using it within GIS has converted a simple recording project into an analysis tool that the village can ultimately use in order to provide their residents with the valuable resource of water.
Village staffs in the water utility department, including managers, operators and executive directors, need an updated understanding of how utility systems are performing, where employees should be focusing their efforts and how village residents are affected. Geographic Information System (GIS) can help to provide a dynamic view of operations and activities throughout your community. One of the main components of making this system work is consistently updating your data so that it is current. While GIS staff knows how to enter and manage GIS systems they often don’t have the expertise or the opportunity to make data changes out in the field.
With the availability of mobile computers and skilled public works staff it is now possible that the ones out in the field doing the manual work can also make the updates to the GIS. This significantly streamlines the workflow process. Crews will have more up to date information in the field, better information in the field beyond the labels on their paper maps, and won't have to fill out paper forms. The important part in implementing mobile GIS updating is that you keep it straightforward. Once users are comfortable with mobile mapping you can expand its functionality. This summer the village did just that by having its valve turning GIS data updated in the field.
Using a rugged laptop, public works staff, with great success, has been updating all the system valve data for the village water utility as they turn valves. When completed this data will be checked and imported back into the utility system for display in key village programs like MapOffice™ Advanced. It is a great start to what mobile GIS and is just the beginning for the village’s plans for mobile GIS editing.
The Village of Norridge is unusual in the fact that street parking is allowed on nearly every street within the village. Any person can park their car on a village street except for certain sections being designated “Resident Parking Only,” meaning that a village sticker is required to park a vehicle on that section of a street. The village created these restrictions based on a few factors. For example, many of the residential streets near the Harlem and Irving Park Shopping Center are marked as resident only to stop overflow shoppers from the mall taking spots needed by the residents. Streets near Norridge Park are deemed “resident only” to allow residents to park on their streets when there are popular events held at the park creating an overflow from the parking lot located within Norridge Park. The village requested a map to show all “Resident Only” parking so that village employees would no longer have to sort through the ordinances to determine the specific locations and restrictions.
A resident only street parking layer was created and then broken down according to the village ordinance. Each area was then categorized based off specific restrictions such as Memorial Day – Labor Day and Monday – Friday, detailed in the ordinance. The map was then printed and posted at the front desk in the village hall so that it could be referenced whenever a resident calls or stops in. The map was also posted as a PDF on the village website, so that anyone could access the map and print it at their convenience.
Although the information for “Resident Only” street parking existed already, GIS allowed the information to be more accessible. Instead of wasting time sorting through ordinances, village employees and residents can reference a simple map.
Making sure that all residents feel safe within their place of residence is a service that a Police Department takes satisfaction in providing. The act of fighting burglary crime can be categorized as a part of providing this important service. The Police Department for Village of Morton Grove decided that to be able to analyze when burglaries were happening as well as where they were happening might help to establish a trend in crime activity. Moreover, being able to identify a trend in burglaries would give the Police Department a better idea on how to fight it. This is where the Police Department decided to enlist the services of the Geographical Information Services (GIS) Department in order to help them map out where these burglaries were occurring.
When a burglary or attempted burglary occurs within the Village of Morton Grove it is first recorded by police officer on duty and transferred to a spreadsheet that can be submitted to the GIS Department. The main identifier that allows the GIS Department to map out these burglary locations is the address that is initially recorded by the police officer. The recorded addresses entered into the spreadsheet also include the date and time of the incident, as well as if the burglary occurred to a residence or a commercial property or was only an attempted burglary. Having these attributes would eventually provide more information to the visual component once it is mapped out by representing each incident based on its specific characteristics. This in turn would allow the Police Department to analyze where the most crime was occurring.
By using the tools located within the GIS, the addresses that were recorded for each burglary incident could easily be assigned a geographical based on a process called geocoding. Geocoding is an operation that searches a street centerline data layer and locates where an address falls on a particular street within a specific block. Once these addresses are located, they are then placed on a map in order to analyze where the most incidents occur. In addition to plotting the burglary locations by the month, the village decided that an added benefit would come by mapping out these incidents per year. This type of analysis has allowed the Police Department to locate the most problematic areas of town and decide what type of action they would want to take in order to prevent future burglaries from happening.
Since the inception of this project, the analysis has been performed every three months and all maps are submitted to the Police Department immediately. All in all, it is easy to see how taking data from a simple spreadsheet and using it within GIS has converted a simple recording project into an analysis tool that the village can ultimately use in order to continue provide their residents with the service of safety.
The Village of Lincolnwood uses Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) from New World Systems which allows Police dispatchers to log emergencies and look up the necessary information to fulfill the emergency request. Technology has allowed the Village’s Geographic Information System (GIS) to be integrated into this process. The GIS portion of the CAD program allows dispatchers to search addresses and verify that an address exists within the community. In doing this, dispatchers can confirm that a location is serviced by their department, find what police beat/subbeat the location is in and see which officer is closest to the scene.
Creating a way for dispatchers to easily locate an area is imperative to the timely response during an emergency. It also helps to visually see the queried address on a map to easily locate the area in which the emergency is taking place. This method saves time from finding an address on a paper map. Digital maps that are used by the dispatchers also incorporate aerial photography. This allows dispatchers to see in the field, without leaving the dispatch office.
The use of the Village’s GIS has helped the police locate areas and find information in a timely manner. When people have emergencies, time is everything and GIS provides a way to easily find the important information to help provide a safer environment for residents.
The Village of Glencoe Public Works Department came to the GIS Department requesting an alternative method to viewing utility data in the field compared to the current method of viewing data in an atlas often called Field Note Map Books. Although this product has performed well over the years the village has had a continuing interest for implementing new methodology. After completing a needs assessment conducted by the GIS Department it was decided that the best approach was to move forward with an application called ArcReader. Moreover, ArcReader application was at no additional cost to the village and customized projects could easily be installed on Public Works Laptops with minimal effort from the GIS Department.
The following report briefly outlines the scope of the project from start to finish and can be broken down into four phases which include:
Phase 1: Project Identification and Planning
Phase Phase 2: Project Development Phase
Phase 3: Project Installation and Testing Phase
Phase 4: User Training and Briefing
Phase 1: The first phase of the project was for the GIS Department to determine the best approach to meet the request of the Public Works staff. An internal review of available hardware and software was completed and the following key requirements were labeled as issues that needed to be addressed in the new application:
- Ability to clearly see and identify utility information in the field
- Ability to display all necessary background mapping information while in the field
- Ability to turn aerial imagery on and off
- Ability to use GIS tools while in the field including distance measuring
- Ability to update data efficiently and reduce the reproduction time and cost associated with printing utility atlases
The GIS Department concluded that ArcReader was the best software solution to achieve these goals. This decision was based on a following factors:
- ArcReader is free, available and ready to install
- ArcReader satisfied all of the requirements listed above
- ArcReader satisfied the requirements of hardware specifications
- ArcReader mirrored the look and feel of ArcView currently being used in the office by Public Works staff
Phase 2: The GIS Department began developing the ArcReader project file based off of existing data layers and utility projects in-use with ArcView platforms. Once all the data was loaded into the project time was spent updating the aesthetics of the map product as well as the creation of custom labels for the ids of all utility devices. This addition was important because village staff had historically used these ids for tracking purposes but now with the ArcReader project it would be easier than with products are currently being used. After the project was completed, the GIS staff created the output file which packaged all the project and data into one product making it ready for installation on the computers of Public Works staff members.
Phase 3: As soon as the project was ready the GIS Department conducted a brief test that included the installation of the initial software as well as the uploading of the ArcReader project onto a single Laptop computer. The installation process was overseen with the help of the Village IT Department and it was concluded that after the first successful results were reported installation was approved for the remaining Laptop computers within the Public Works Department. After the installations on all laptops were performed successfully it was declared that the computers were ready for distribution and use.
Phase 4: The distribution phase included the GIS Department, the IT Department and the Public Works Department. During this final phase a meeting was scheduled in order to demonstrate the new ArcReader application and distribute the laptops to the Public Works staff members. In addition, an interactive group discussion took place I regards to how often data would be updated as well as what methods would be used for updating of these ArcReader projects on all computers. The Village of Glencoe Public Works Department decided that the update cycle would three times a year based on the average rate of data change over a one year cycle.
In conclusion, after multiple meetings and careful planning between the GIS Department and the Public Works staff a new technology was introduced that allowed data stored in the GIS to become usable data in the field ultimately helping to assist the Public Works Department with their daily operations.
The City of Highland Park Fire Department is considering relocating one of their three fire stations where they can build a larger station. Moving this fire station will affect the response times within the community. In order to help understand the extent to which the new fire department will alter the response times, the city enlisted the help of the Geographic Information System (GIS) Department.
The Fire Department contacted the GIS department in order to evaluate the response time network covered by five-minute response areas. The base layer for the response time network consists of a road centerline feature. Information added to this feature including speed limits and one-way restrictions allowed response times to be calculated. Using the formula of 60*length of segment/speed limit, a response time was populated for each segment. The response time is the cost of travelling that segment of road. Placing other restrictions including, turns, stop signs, and prohibited u-turns to model intersections, increased the accuracy of the network.
The next step involved using the response time network to create a series of maps. The first group of maps showed the five-minute response area of the current configuration of fire stations. The second group of maps showed the five-minute response area of the southern fire station to one of two proposed locations. These proposed location maps also showed which properties were no longer within a five-minute response area as well as the new properties added to the five-minute response area of the proposed station location. The final series of maps showed five minute, twenty second, and five minute thirty second response times. These maps demonstrated that many properties removed from the five-minute response areas are still within a reasonable response area from one of the fire stations.
With the creation of the road response network and the related map products, the Fire Department had valuable information for assessing the impact of moving the location of an existing fire station. With this information, the Fire Department is able to show interested parties the impact of relocating one of the fire stations.
As the environment becomes a focus within local government, issues such as sewage discharge into fresh water rivers and streams becomes a concern. As part of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination Study (NPDES), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) works with the City of Des Plaines to ensure they are taking the necessary steps to regulate and reduce the amount of sewage discharge they produce.
The city’s Public Works department has recently worked on several projects that relate to two major influences of discharge rates, surface water run-off and potential sewage flowrate capacity. As related to surface run-off, the department was interested in providing street sweeping route infomration to the EPA to show that they are actively removing litter and other elements that could wash into nearby water bodies during a storm. To assist with this process, the village contacted the Geographic Information System (GIS) department to create a map that would help to show the extent to which the city is performing this service. By displaying this information spatially on a city-wide scale, the EPA would get a comprehensive view of the department’s efforts to comply with the NPDES program.
To study the sewage flowrate capacity, the GIS department created a basic inventory of the city owned and maintained sanitary system pump stations. The Public Works department performed field checks and marked the locations of each facility on existing maps of the city and then provided these maps to the GIS department for input. Once the information was added to the GIS system, basic maps of the facility locations were created to assist the department in performing an analysis on the city’s ability to move sewage through the sanitary main system. This capability affects the amount of sewage that can potentially be released into surrounding rivers or streams during a major storm event. Viewing these assests on a city-wide scale provides a broad view for both the department and the EPA to see how equiped the city is handle potential overflow problems that could effect sewage discharge rates.
The various aspects of the NPDES program are continually being reviewed and enforced by the EPA. Projects completed in the past will lead to more projects in the future. Using GIS to assist with these projects has provided the city with the ability to view city assests and to perform important analysis that would otherwise be difficult and time-consuming. GIS has helped to improve the ability of all city departments in providing the EPA with critical information that ensures the city is in compliance with efforts to reduce local water pollution.