and be notified of status changes almost as
soon as they happen.
Protecting Natural Spaces
The cloud has also played a central role
in facilitating collaboration and communi-
cation for Nova Scotia's ambitious "Our
Parks & Protected Areas Plan." One of the
first of its kind in Canada, the plan updates
the province's park system to ensure long-
term sustainability, while increasing legally
protected landmass to at least 12 percent
by 2015.
To help define the plan, the Department
of Environment invited people from across
the province to attend a series of public
consultations. Because it's a province-wide
initiative, enormous amounts of geographic
information must be publicly shared dur-
ing consultations. As such, the department
looked for a mapping solution that was
flexible and affordable, and would allow
even non-mapping experts within the orga-
nization to edit and share data.
They opted for a cloud-based mapping
solution, that allows them to communicate
both hosted data and data stored behind
the department's firewall with consulta-
tion participants and other members of the
public.
"The cloud platform is ideal because
our data changes frequently and it provides
the flexibility to edit data on the fly, even
for those with little mapping training," said
Peter Labor, Director, Protected Areas and
Ecosystems, Department of Environment.
"We've eliminated many steps that are
typically involved when serving up large
amounts of information. Data that could
take days to update and make available can
now be updated within 1/2 hour."
Platform for Public Consultations
Data is stored in the cloud and made
available through an intuitive, easy-to-use
web map . Us-
ers can access detailed information on any
of the existing or proposed protected areas
across the province. By clicking on a par-
ticular site, they can pull up an information
sheet on the area and print out a paper map.
The level of detail provided allows users
to get quick answers to questions such as:
Which roads are included or not included
in the protected area? On which side of the
lake does the boundary fall?
Layers can be turned on and off, and
users can choose how they view their data
through a variety of basemaps. Feedback
can then be submitted through a web-
enabled form and distributed to staff at the
department. Because the feedback often
contains personal contact information, it
is fed back to the government server and
stored behind the firewall.
"During public consultations, we used
to collate data from a variety of sources
including phone calls, letters, and emails,
which was very time-consuming," said La-
bor. "Now, we leverage the cloud platform
as a gateway for users to submit their com-
ments via an interactive web-based form
that feeds directly into our consultation
database. This allows us to access a single
stream of feedback that's immediately ac-
tionable."
The web map can be leveraged in the
privacy of a resident's home, on mobile
devices, and on laptops available at the live
consultation sessions. Layers are added and
subtracted to facilitate the discussion, and
maps can be printed for further debate.
The Department of Environment also
created an internal map for use on iPads. It
allows staff to access sensitive data layers
such as endangered species and wilderness
camps, to answer questions during public
discussions. As data security is a common
concern when using cloud solutions, the
department activated security features in
the mapping platform to restrict data access
to a specific group of users.
The department facilitated 17 consulta-
tions across the province. The plan was
revised based on public feedback and then
reflected on the web map so that the public
could view how their input affected the
overall plan. The web map has proved so
successful that the department is currently
looking into developing a permanent portal
that will provide ongoing updates regard-
ing protected areas.
Cloud Mapping's Silver Lining
Governments increasingly embrace
cloud mapping technology for its numer-
ous benefits. It eliminates the need to invest
in hardware or install software, reducing
IT maintenance costs. Since the solution
only requires internet access, it's easier to
share information across the organization
and with the public, using any web-enabled
device. Users create a web map once and
share it with numerous people who access
the map from any device, including tablets
and smartphones. This offers incredible
flexibility and allows for easier collabora-
tion, between employees who work in
and outside the office, across government
agencies, and between government and the
public.
As Nova Scotia's example shows, web
maps open up many opportunities to im-
prove planning and decision making using
real-time data; efficiently disseminate and
gather information from the public; and
support more timely updates of important
data. Web maps help bring government
programs and services down to earth: one
doesn't need to be a mapping expert to use
web maps, making them important tools
for engaging citizens. MW
44 Municipal World January 2014
