AWARDS & RECOGNITION
2004 Awards: Digital Government: Government to Government
RECIPIENT: Virginia
Virginia Base Mapping Program
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| Left to right: Bob Rike and Bill Shinar |
In October of 2001, the state began work on the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP). The program's goal was to establish and maintain one consistent, accurate, foundational digital base map upon which local government and many regional, state, and federal geospatial data applications could be built, producing an efficient statewide geospatial infrastructure. The Virginia Wireless E-911 Services Board funded the VBMP, in support of statewide implementation of federal requirements for E-911 emergency response services for cellular phones. High resolution digital orthophotography was determined to provide the accuracy required for wireless E-911.
The VBMP program was managed by the Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN) Division of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA). VGIN contracted with VARGIS LLC. of Herndon, Virginia, to produce full color, "leaf-off", digital orthophotography for the entire land base of Virginia. The imagery was developed at one of three scales, determined by evaluating population and housing densities.
In February 2003, VGIN began delivery to each of Virginia's 134 independent cities and counties, including 128 E-911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), a DVD set including High-resolution digital orthophotography covering the county/city, as well as imagery for adjacent communities. Such regional coverage was essential to meeting the mutual response obligations of local E-911 operations.
"The Virginia Base Mapping Program is an excellent example of how collaborations across traditional program boundaries can significantly improve services at all levels of government. Beyond the substantial dollar savings, we will continue to reap the service benefits of the VBMP in public safety, economic development, and so many other arenas for years to come."
Lemuel C. Stewart, Jr., Chief Information Officer, Commonwealth of Virginia The VBMP project was completed in June of 2003, on time and under budget. The extent and scope of this project was unprecedented. No entity the size of Virginia had ever attempted to complete this level of digital mapping in such a short time period. Savings to the taxpayer thus far are estimated at $5 to $8 million, and continue to grow. Outcome-based measures, such as lives saved and injuries/ property damage avoided, will be significant, albeit more difficult to quantify.
The VBMP statewide imagery has produced a single consistent, seamless base map, providing the foundation for a consistent enterprise architecture for GIS throughout Virginia. This ensures that data sharing for state and local, public and private business applications, including E-911 response, permit tracking, natural resource protection, transportation planning and economic and labor analysis, operate at the highest possible efficiency and can be consistently applied anywhere in Virginia.
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