Issue link: https://resources.esri.ca/i/732798
4 | SPRING 2013 ArcNorthNews An increasing expectation of citizen engagement, diminishing budgets and aging infrastructure are placing pressure on local communities as never before. With a shift towards open data and a need to operate more efficiently, municipalities across the country are turning towards affordable, cloud-based tools to achieve their goals. Two local governments, the City of Peterborough and the Town of Banff, joined Esri Canada's Community Maps Program and began using tools and templates from ArcGIS Online. Leveraging the cloud-based platform allowed the municipalities to advance internal operations, offer robust online services to residents, save money, and improve the overall quality and reliability of their data. Creating a more informed citizenry With a population of approximately 135,000, the Greater Peterborough Area is known for its exceptional quality of life, and its beautiful as well as historic setting along the Otonabee River in the Kawarthas tourism region. Living in Peterborough offers many advantages including diverse industrial, commercial and agricultural markets, quality health care, affordable real estate and close proximity to other major centres. The City recently set out to develop an interactive Web app that would allow members of the general public to find information online rather than having to phone the City directly. To develop the app, GIS staff searched for a basemap that was up-to-date and accurate and offered extensive coverage beyond city limits. This prompted Peterborough to become involved in Esri Canada's Community Maps Program: an initiative that allows organizations to have their map data cached and published to Esri's secure cloud, ArcGIS Online, at no cost. "We originally joined the Community Maps Program because we liked the idea of staying in control of our data," said Nicole Schleifer, Acting Land Information Services Manager, City of Peterborough. "When a change occurs, such as the addition of a new street, we can send a shapefile to Esri Canada and the update is reflected in less than a week." Using the City's data in conjunction with basemaps generated through the Program, the City created a Web service that allows residents to search and obtain many different kinds of information, such as zoning, recently added streets, transit routes, garbage schedules, recreational facilities and essentially all other city services with a single click. The cache is updated monthly and updates can also be made on-the-fly. Storing data in the cloud allowed the City to save a significant amount of server space. "In addition to providing residents with critical information at their fingertips, we were also able to generate a basemap that allows users to scroll beyond city borders to view data far and wide," said Nicole. "This is crucial for joint city-country services that require access to data beyond city limits, such as fire, social services, police and utilities." Local governments achieve transparency & efficiencies in the cloud "We now have access to one consistent basemap that can be leveraged throughout various departments, eliminating the need to remake maps over and over again. It's also much easier to share data with external stakeholders because we can simply send a link and a password for information to be accessed on ArcGIS Online." Nicole Schleifer City of Peterborough Residents of Peterborough can use the Web map to obtain a range of information about their city, including garbage pickup schedules. This has significantly reduced calls received by the City.