The City of Norman paid tribute to its Geographic Information Systems team on Geographic Information Systems Day, celebrated annually on November 20. The recognition is for those who meticulously manage and decipher the sprawling underground and surface data that keeps Norman operational, as reported by the City of Norman's official news outlet.
The Geographic Information Systems team in Norman is a small but essential group. It includes GIS Manager Joyce Green, Analysts Rick Hoffstatter, Michelle Matthews, and Scott Woodruff, Technician Kopila Regmi-Paudel, and Intern Matthew Marx. They work with a database that has about 500 layers of data, covering everything from zoning and easements to the city's history, as per the City of Norman.
According to a statement by Joyce Green obtained by the City of Norman, the information her team assembles is multi-functional, aiding other city departments like Sanitation with route planning or 911 dispatchers in expediting first responder deployment. The team's work is ingrained into the veins of the city’s decision-making processes.
Moreover, Green elaborates on the breadth of data they manage – mentioning "aerial photographs, building footprints, roads, easements, stormwater information, land use plans, city council wards, historic districts, and trees," which are just a slice of their comprehensive repository. This depth of information serves not just for operational efficacy but also shapes the ecological and societal well-being, tracking water line integrity in compliance with EPA requirements – hence watching over Norman’s health, as mentioned by the City of Norman.
The Geographic Information Systems team, as per the official City of Norman news, fosters transparency and accessibility, channeling Geographic Information Systems data directly to citizens and city employees alike via Norman's website. In a digital era, some of this data is even downloadable for the Geographic Information Systems-savvy, while others can utilize an interactive map to navigate the many layers that illustrate Norman's 189.5 square miles.
The understated credo of the Geographic Information Systems team, as Green puts it, is their role as a "support agency." With every City of Norman function pinned to a location, the geographic data they curate is not only critical – it's foundational to the essence of Norman's prolonged endeavor towards progress and informed governance.
