Case Studies

Solution The City of Regina leveraged Esri's ArcGIS technology and Community Maps Program to build a virtual, interactive and online cultural map. They started by launching a Web-based survey inviting members of its cultural sector to contribute the latest information on their organizations. Once received, the data is edited and stored in a central ArcGIS for Server geodatabase that is used to power the online app. Next, the city contributed basemap data to Esri Canada's Community Maps Program where it was integrated with other authoritative datasets, cached and rendered with uniform cartography. The city was then supplied with a detailed, high-performance online basemap that offers a consistent look and feel and can be shown at multiple scales. To make the data publically available, the ArcGIS API for Flex was used to configure a Web-based map viewer. The API leverages resources from ArcGIS for Server such as maps and locators to deploy rich Internet applications. Custom widgets were built to let users search cultural assets by category and pull up descriptions, photos and address information directly on the map. When information changes, edits are made to the geodatabase, and instantly reflected in the app. Benefits Using GIS, the City of Regina was able to map over 119 organizations and 176 venues including art galleries, designated heritage properties, public art sites, cultural head offices, creative industries and performance venues. This information will be used to inform the city's Cultural Plan and connect residents and visitors with cultural activity occurring throughout the city. It will provide a solid knowledge base to identify gaps or overlaps in cultural offerings, foster relationships within the community and support new opportunities. The map will also grow and change to accurately reflect continued growth within Regina. Through Esri Canada's Community Maps Program, the city was able to leverage a high-performance online basemap at no cost. This map service saved the city a significant amount of time because staff no longer needed to focus on the cartographic work required to create a consistent basemap. This meant that energies could be directed almost exclusively to developing the map viewer functionality. Flex technology enabled programmers to add configurable tools to the application without a lot of additional programming. The API made it easy to customize the look and feel of the app while building in user-friendly functionality. The Regina Culture Map has been very well received and has already been viewed by over 1,000 users. Promoting a vibrant culture through Community Maps | Esri Canada 2 Using GIS, the City of Regina mapped over 119 cultural organizations and 176 cultural venues. Users can search cultural assets by category and pull up descriptions, photos and address information directly on the map. " The Community Maps Program saved us a significant amount of time during the development of our Cultural Map Viewer. It also provided a standard look and feel that is consistent with other mapping systems, making it familiar to our users." Andrea Weston City of Regina

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