The Pottawattamie County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department was formed in June of 2002 to administer and grow the County's GIS program. In 1998, the County made a significant investment in GIS technologies; including aerial photography, various spatial datasets, powerful new workstations, and leading GIS software. By 2002, the County recognized the potential of their GIS and subsequently addressed the need for internal management and budgeting. The decision was made to form an independent County department, whose administrator would report directly to the Board of Supervisors. Capital and budgeted monies were set aside to fund the new department. In June of 2002, a GIS Program Manager was hired and the GIS Department was officially formed.
Today the department has a staff of four and serves the following county departments with GIS data and services:
- Auditor: property mapping and elections
- Communications/911: mapping, addresses, software support
- Conservation: mapping, software support, projects, specialized data, GPS
- EMA: software support, specialized data, emergency action plans, exercises
- Engineering: mapping, specialized data
- Planning: software support, specialized data, projects, GPS
- Sheriff: custom maps, crime mapping
The department also provides support to the cities in the county, non-profits, the chambers of commerce, planning organizations, school districts, and private businesses.
