City of St. Charles receives Geographic Information Systems Award

The City of St. Charles Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Division received a Special Achievement in GIS award from Esri Inc., a leader in spatial analytics.

The award recognizes the city's innovative application of technology, data collection, geospatial information visualization, and thought leadership through GIS in the field of local government.

The city was selected from more than 300,000 eligible candidates, and puts its GIS Division in the top 1/10 of 1 percent of users of Esri software.

The GIS team was recognized for two projects:

• Interactive America in Bloom Tour Map - The map offers a virtual tour of the locations the judges in the national community awards program visited. Check it out at www.stcharlesil.gov/about/america-in-bloom.

• Snow Fox Snow Management System - The system maps snowplow locations and treated roadways in real time so staff can efficiently allocate resources where needed to keep the roads safe and clear during a snowfall.

"The GIS Division was recognized for this award as an outstanding example of how municipalities can utilize GIS mapping to improve efficiency and share information with the public," said City Administrator Mark Koenen. "GIS is very important to the success of city operations and this recognition is well deserved."

Mapping has always been an integral function for municipalities. Many routine city operations are tied to a location and therefore rely on maps. Maps play a vital role in locating water, sewer and electric lines, or in helping emergency crews calculate the best route with the lowest response time.

For more information, contact Keith Nightlinger, GIS Division Manager, at knightlinger@stcharlesil.gov or (630) 762-7076.