The City Council voted this week to have Hollister pay up and
join several other local government entities in creating policy for
a high-tech computer mapping system that will give people easy
access to detailed geographical information about the county.
Hollister – The City Council voted this week to have Hollister pay up and join several other local government entities in creating policy for a high-tech computer mapping system that will give people easy access to detailed geographical information about the county.
Under the memorandum of understanding that the council accepted at Monday’s meeting, Hollister will pay $11,700 to join a steering committee charged with implementing and managing the county’s forthcoming Geographical Information System – a computerized system that will link information, such as zoning designations, to a digital map of the county.
The City of Hollister will fund about 21 percent of $54,700 contract with Lynx Technologies, the firm that will aid the steering committee in developing the GIS further. Other parties to the MOU include: San Benito County, the county water district, the county Office of Education, San Juan Bautista and Gavilan Joint Community College. Each will pay a portion of the Lynx contract.
“I’m a really big fan of this,” Councilman Brad Pike said. “I’m looking forward to seeing this happen.”
The GIS will benefit both government employees and the public, according to David Rubcic, associate civil engineer with Hollister. For example, he said, a person will be able to select a parcel on the computerized map and get zoning information and the general plan designation for the property without having to burden city staff.
There is the potential to link a limitless amount of information to the GIS map, according Rubcic.
“The only limitation is how far your imagination can go,” he said.
The development of a GIS for San Benito began in 2003, when the county contracted with Lynx to create a digital map of the county. The map, which will serve as the foundation of the GIS, was completed late last year.
Up-to-date and easily accessible information about city streets is especially helpful for public safety agencies, said Pike, adding that he has used a GIS in his job as a fire captain in Saratoga.
“Everything is expedited,” he said. “It just makes things easy for all the departments.”
Rubcic said he hopes that once it’s completed, the GIS will be available to the public on the city’s website. Sensitive information, such as the location of water lines, will only be available to government employees, he said.
Margie Riopel, a San Benito County management analyst heading up the project, said she hopes the GIS will be ready for use within nine months.
“I’m excited to get this done,” she said.
Luke Roney covers local government and the environment for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at lr****@fr***********.com
