The Village of Glenview approached GIS to collect the locations of outfalls throughout the Village for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. NPDES controls water pollution by regulating sources that discharge pollutants.
The Village decided to use a new method of collection, called Open Data Kit (ODK), using cellular phones. ODK allows the use of GPS on cellular phones along with the creation of forms to collect attribute data. Collected during the process were the GPS locations, photos of each outfall, and a unique ID of each. This data was then transferred off the phone to a staging location on the internet that allows exporting of the data to be used in GIS. GIS then used this data to create a series of maps to show the locations of the outfalls.
The Village found this process to be very cost effective while maintaining the accuracy that they were seeking.
In 1858 the Deerfield Cemetery was opened on the northwest corner of Waukegan Road and Central Avenue. The Cemetery has a lot of history, with at least 15 Civil War soldiers buried there. The Village of Deerfield has recently acquired this property and they have started to look for ways to track burials.
The Village asked GIS to find a way that they could track the plots, graves, and burials. Using MapOffice™ Advanced, GIS set up each grave with a unique id so that it would be easy to link persons buried there to each one. This grave also included birth and death dates, important information about the person, and a link to a picture of the gravestone on FindAGrave.com. By adding this information on MapOffice™ Advanced, the Village of Deerfield can interactively find the layout of each grave, who is buried there, and if there are any vacant spaces.
The Village of Glenview annually plants new parkway trees. With upwards of 300 trees planted each year there was no easy way to find the best route to take. Therefore, Public Works approached GIS to see if there was a more efficient way to plant these trees across the Village.
GIS used a feature in ArcGIS that allows a route to be set up using many stops you would like to make. This route is then created by using a road network and a set traveling speed. Returned are a direction list and the route that should be taken. This has allowed Public Works to lower their cost and time to plant these trees annually.
Like most communities, the Village of Deerfield tracks the movement of Emerald Ash Borer. Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive beetle that devastates ash trees. Instead of using a series of treatments to kill the beetles, the Village has decided to remove affected trees.
In order to keep track of which trees are being affected, the Village inventoried all Ash trees and looked for signs of Emerald Ash Borer infestation. Once this inventory was collected, it was mapped out by using GIS. This allows the easy tracking of trees that are affected and removed. Supporting products can then be created that show the hotpots and even the potential movement of the beetle, which helps focus where tree removals are needed.
The Village of Deerfield has a strict Appearance Code that applies to current and new businesses that are looking to operate within the Village border. The code has criteria intending to assist in focusing on appearance standards that will not restrict imagination, innovation, or variety.
To simplify and assist with this code, GIS was used to create a series of maps to show commercial locations across the Village to show areas that are affected. These were then put into a booklet that the Village will distribute to prospective companies. By using GIS, the Village was able to illustrate where this code will be enforced and help reduce extra time spent having to figure out if a new business will be affected.
The Village of Deerfield has plans to run fiber optic line to connect Village Hall and Public Works. This will improve the speed of moving data between the locations. GIS was used to create a series of maps that showed the location of the utilities and proposed fiber optic line with hand holes. After creating this preliminary map, Public Works went out into the field to markup any changes. The final map will be used by Public Works to install the fiber optic line while knowing where the utilities are located.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) provides low interest loans for the construction of community water supply facilities and utilities. This loan is used to upgrade or replace existing facilities or utilities to bring them into compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and State Environmental Protection Act. The Village of Deerfield has decided to use Geographic Information Systems to create a series of maps that shows the locations of the utilities. These six maps that will be created are in locations of construction that is scheduled to be done. Public Works plan is to work on the water utility system while the scheduled construction is being done.
Every year, the Village of Glenview holds their Fourth of July Celebration, called the Glenview Independence Day Celebration Twilight Show, at the Glenview Park Golf Course. The police and fire departments always are looking for the best ways to spread their resources at events like these. The map shows key locations throughout the event grounds where police or fire could focus on. Firework fallout data was also included to show where to not allow people to be during the firework show. Each police officer carried a laminated copy of this map with them so they could respond to any emergencies quicker by knowing exactly where to go.
Retention Ponds are basins that catch runoff from higher elevations. These ponds have water in them year round and are often located near development areas. Public works tracks these ponds along with the restrictors and outfalls contained in them.
The Village of Glenview’s Public Works currently only had the location of these retention ponds on As-Builts. GIS was able to assist in the project to show the locations of these retention ponds on one map. This allows for an easier and faster way to find the retention ponds. Public Works will also be utilizing these locations on a series of map books to be used in the field.