Geographic Information System a Valuable Resource
BINGHAMTON, NY - Broome County Geographic Information System (GIS) management conducted an online survey of 266 users of the Unified Parcel Information System (UPIS) from May 10th to September 3. The overall results were tremendously positive for the County resource. Use of the GIS site continues to grow since its launch in 2005.
“The Geographic Information System greatly assists many departments and divisions throughout the county” commented Executive Fiala. “Undoubtedly, it is also a useful resource for the private sector and those looking to develop property. We will continue to advance county technology to improve services and market our area.”
The UPIS enables users to quickly and easily view maps and associated parcel information of Broome County municipalities over the internet. The survey identified the overwhelming support of this online resource. In general, respondents who completed the survey remarked that the UPIS is an important, useful, easy-to-use online service. Out of town users especially appreciated the advanced service. Nearly 70% said their view of Broome County government was either “more” (48%) or “much more” (21%) positive.
The full survey results have been compiled and are available at the GIS Portal: www.bcgis.com/website/gisweb/gissurvey07.htm
A few points to note from the survey include: 90% of the respondents rated the overall usefulness of the UPIS as either 'somewhat' (23%) or 'very' (67%) useful and over 50% access it at least once a week. Over 2/3s agreed that the UPIS allows for both quick & efficient information gathering and also for access to more information. Around 40% agreed that the UPIS allows both the avoidance of travel costs & time and also for better decisions to be made. 25% said the UPIS also allows them to avoid printing fees. Further, nearly 3/4s viewed the UPIS as either 'better' (45%) or 'much better' (29%) than other county online services.
Several of those who took the survey also took the time to leave comments regarding their appreciation of the system.
“Keep up the great work. As an engineer this has made my job and life much easier. I used to spend hours gathering the information that is now at my finger tips. Thank you very much.”
“I have used mapping sites from Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga, Onondaga, Cortland, and Ulster counties. The Broome County UPIS is by far the most easy to use with the most information.”
“Whoever set this up, I thank you. It isn't a question of…saving time any more, it's a question of how greatly enhanced…my access to information [is]. In the real estate industry, this site/functionality is of very high value.”
New Soils Layer Available in the UPIS
The soils layer in the UPIS has been replaced with a more detailed layer. The new layer was created by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) using the County's existing paper soil survey for reference. In addition, the soils link in the Parcel Information window now connects to a document created by the Broome County Soil and Water Conservation District, which explains the various soil types in more detail.
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Published Date: 10-04-2007
