The Missouri City Police Department welcomes the integration of advanced crime analysis tools for the city’s geographic information system (GIS) courtesy of a strategic planning initiative set in motion by the city back in 2016. With the help of North Carolina’s Geographic Technologies Group (GTG), the Houston suburb strives to make GIS the primary information technology platform for a number of city departments as they work towards the “Missouri City 2029” vision.
In March, 2016, the City of Missouri City, Texas issued a Request for Statement of Qualifications (RSQ) for the development of a five-year GIS strategic plan. The city awarded the contract to GTG in July. The three-phase project for Missouri City began soon after and was completed by February 2017. Geographic Technologies Group was founded in 1997 by a team of GIS specialists turned strategic planning experts. In the 19 years prior, GTG had provided similar services to over 500 city and county governments across the United States and established themselves as the leading GIS planning firm in the US.
GTG’s first step was a thorough investigation of the GIS systems and services that had been put in place for Missouri City under the guidance of their two previous strategic planning initiatives. The first was written when the city began their GIS program back in 1995. A new plan was written in 2006 when they formed their official GIS department. Over the course of three months, GTG conducted surveys and interviews with Missouri City staff to learn how they used GIS and identify where it had succeeded in meeting their needs and where it was falling short. The needs assessment period explored the following topics and considerations:
- The existing IT infrastructure
- Current GIS software
- Availability and quality of digital data
- The extent of system integration
- Establishment of procedures
- Training and technical support options
- Designation of roles & responsibilities
- Established governance model
GTG’s findings during this first phase of the project formed the basis for the two to follow. In the fall of 2016, GTG began the second phase of the project: developing solutions to improve or enhance the current GIS model. By the end of the year, phase three was in progress as GTG devised a plan to implement those solutions and usher in a third era of GIS in Missouri City.
Among the primary beneficiaries of the project was the Missouri City Police Department, who received a variety new tools designed for mapping and visualizing police data. The department expressed needs for an array of new data layers and functionalities including critical incident mapping, historical crimes data, calls-forservice data, and building pre-plans. The accessibility of building pre-plans for critical facilities like schools, hospitals, and government buildings was of noted importance to the department. Pre-plans are integral as they contain display the locations of emergency exits, evacuation routes, fire extinguishers and more. The Missouri City Police Department wanted to see this information on the general GIS intranet browser, the 911 mapping application, and the mobile mapping application. GTG included a plan to make that happen for the city.
The ability to see and interact with these data on a map opens new opportunities for identifying patterns in criminal activity and responding to critical incidents. The department will be able to make informed decisions about the future through the analysis and interpretation of geospatial data for assets and past events. Additionally, with the implementation of Esri® Story Maps, the department can communicate more effectively with residents. Residents can get information on community watch meetings in their area or get to know their local officers. In addition to the police department, GTG’s identified needs and provided solutions dor the following Missouri City departments:
• Administration
• City Secretary
• Development Services
• Economic Development
• Financial Services
• Fire
• Human Resources
• Information Technology (IT)
• Legal
• Municipal Courts
• Parks & Recreation
• Public Works
About Geographic Technologies Group, Inc
GTG is technology consulting company that specializes in the planning, procurement and implementation of enterprise GIS solutions for local governments. The company has been in business for over 20 years and provided strategic planning services for over 500 city and county governments. Additionally, Geographic Technologies Group develops GIS software packages tailored specifically for utilities departments, police departments, and more. GTG’s SmartCities initiative includes GreenCityGIS.com, SafeCityGIS.com, UtilityCityGIS.com, FiberCityGIS. com, and GISPlan.com.
