Creating and Implementing a GISPlan for the City of Lloydminster, Canada
Lloydminster is the only bi-provincial town in Canada, straddling both Alberta and Saskatchewan. If you visit downtown Lloydminster, you can see a monument consisting of four 100-foot markers bringing focus to the Fourth Meridian that was used as the dividing line between the two provinces. The City of Lloydminster is geographically isolated midway between Edmonton and Saskatoon. The city and its residents exemplify rugged independence that has been their hallmark for over a century.
The City of Lloydminster provides a diverse set of services and has been using mapping technology for over a decade. However, the City understood that mapping is not the same as GIS. The maps they use are CAD-based or hard copy and not used extensively for decision making and analysis. A few City staff have been exposed to GIS over the past few years and understood the power of the platform.
In 2019, the City issued an RFP for a GIS Strategic Plan. David Holdstock, GTG CEO, explains, “The City had data and it had maps, and officials knew that GIS would bring these two together in meaningful ways. They wanted to manage city infrastructure, improve city planning, enable staff with key datasets for decision-making, and allow residents to have access to key information in a spatial context. They had GIS for several years prior to their project with GTG, but didn’t have a vision of how best to harness its power. They needed a step-by-step plan of how to get the most out of GIS technology.”
After a competitive bid process, the City of Lloydminster, selected Geographic Technologies Group, the North American leader in GIS strategic planning. Curtis Hinton, President of GTG points out, “Winning the Lloydminster plan was exciting. We have done a number of strategic plans in Canada but mainly in Ontario and British Columbia. Working with the staff in Canada’s heartland was something we enjoyed greatly. We understand that a ‘fail to plan is a plan to fail.’ Lloydminster had the desire to move GIS to the next level and to create a foolproof plan for success, and it was our pleasure to guide them through the process.”
The plan included all departments at the City and focused on quick wins. Mr. Hinton states, “It was key to ensure that the GIS was serving the vision of the City leaders. We made sure that the GIS Strategic Plan focused on how to align with the overall City Council challenges, needs, and priorities identified in the Lloydminster 2017-2021 Strategic Plan. We made sure that the GIS was addressing all five of the Pillars of Community Sustainability identified in the 2017-2021 Plan.” The final plan is focused on geo-enabling data and leveraging the City’s Esri Enterprise Agreement. There is no doubt that as this plan is executed, this bi-provincial City will be a GIS leader in both provinces.
For more information contact Curt Hinton by calling 888.757.4222 or emailing chinton@geotg.com. You can also learn more about Geographic Technologies Group’s strategic planning services at GISPlan.com.
