Esri Ireland GIS Solutions Recognized at 2010 Chambers Ireland Awards
Online Mapping Applications Bring Efficiency and Transparency to Local Government
January 4, 2011
Fingal County Council and Esri Ireland staff at Chambers Ireland's 7th Annual Excellence in Local Government Awards in Dublin.
Redlands, California—Fingal County Council earned two awards for its exceptional geographic information system (GIS) applications, developed in partnership with Esri Ireland, at Chambers Ireland’s seventh annual Excellence in Local Government Awards in Dublin, Ireland. The council won the Innovation in Technology award for its Fingal Works Viewer and, along with Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council, picked up the award for Best Local Authority Joint Initiative for its Online Development Plan Submissions application.
Fingal is north of Dublin in an area with one of the fastest growing populations in Ireland, necessitating a wide range of new development projects. To better disseminate public information about these projects across Fingal's five local electoral areas, the county leveraged GIS technology to develop Fingal Works Viewer, a Web-based application that provides a transparent overview of Fingal’s annual works programs. The ArcGIS Server software-based solution was completed and implemented within three months, with special attention to ease of use and visual appeal.
“The whole concept of mapping budget allocations to location extents of anything from major infrastructural projects to minor street or parks projects held enormous appeal for Fingal and was viewed as a further step toward a more open democracy,” commented Hazel Farley, systems analyst for the county’s GIS team.
Built on Esri’s ArcGIS platform, the Online Development Plan Submissions application brings development maps online and facilitates the public consultation process for each local authority’s respective draft development plans.
“The council achieves savings from reduced workload during a very busy time period due to more efficient work practices,” said Kathleen Holohon, director of planning at Dun Laoghaire. “The public, in turn, benefits by being able to view and interact with the maps at home rather than having to travel to our offices or the local library to look at them.”
“This proves that a partnership approach ensures the investment in GIS can yield long-term strategic dividends,” said Dermot O’Kane, local government and GIS client manager at Esri Ireland. “In an economic backdrop of uncertainty and public sector cutbacks, it’s both encouraging and exciting to see progressive local government authorities recognized for their innovative use of GIS in delivering openness, transparency, and better services to citizens.”
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