Government Technology - January 2008 - (Page 22)

One Space to Organize All Your Web Resources My Briefcase been able to do with Google Earth and are providing new functionality, which people are taking advantage of. “Some of our GIS purists don’t necessarily like it, but that’s the way of the future. People want to have access to those kind of tools whereas, before, it was more exclusive.” Dixie Developments Utah isn’t the only state making the most of Google Earth. In late November 2007, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley announced the launch of Virtual Alabama, a project initiated by the Alabama Department of Homeland Security in partnership with Google Earth. The first-of-its-kind project, which was two years in the making, incorporates imagery from all of Alabama’s 67 counties, and allows local officials to securely share access to statewide geographic data using Google Earth. Virtual Alabama means mission-critical GIS data is no longer accessible only by GIS experts. Instead, GIS data can be quickly and easily obtained by first responders, helping them do everything from planning an escape from a burning building to evacuating areas affected by a hazardous chemical spill. According to state Homeland Security Director Jim Walker, people issues — not technology challenges — were the biggest hurdles to creating Virtual Alabama. The state had to find up-to-date imagery of each Alabama county, a process that took more than a year to accomplish, Walker said. Along the way, political infighting and proprietary issues bogged down the process. The key, Walker said, was explaining how Virtual Alabama Virtual Reality The U.S. Space and Rocket Center, in Huntsville, Ala., aided in the development of Virtual Alabama. Here, the center is rendered in partial 3-D. Created using Google Earth, this image represents one type of imagery Virtual Alabama offers state ofﬁcials. And, if you look closely, you can see a certain famous airplane has been brought to virtual life. Executive Support Alabama Gov. Bob Riley announces the launch of Virtual Alabama, the most complete GIS data set in the nation. Track News & Hot Topics Store Videos & Resources Bookmark Whitepapers & Articles Save External URLs/RSS Feeds would improve public safety and help protect the lives of first responders. “I went to the sheriffs and said, ‘Look, if you give me this imagery, we’ve learned that we can start layering and tailoring information on top of your imagery that can allow you to do a lot of things. For example, we can show gas lines, power lines, fire hydrants, stop signs, stop lights, the location of every registered sex offender in your county. If you click on a button, this is where a sex offender lives. [If] you draw a 1,000-foot circle around his house, and pull up all the schools, bus stops, day-care centers, etc., you know immediately if he is violating his parole.’ “We can 3-D model buildings and say, ‘OK, you want to take down a meth lab or you want to have a surveillance or SWAT operation? Before you even go, you can do rehearsals, view line of sight, determine a way in, a way out, the best ways to enter, before you ever put an officer in harm’s way. You can save lives.’ Boy, they jumped all over that.” Virtual Alabama is unique for several reasons. First, the program succeeded where Take Our Tutorial Today! /briefcase/tour Sponsored by: Confidence in a connected world. http://www.govtech.com/briefcase/tour http://www.govtech.com/briefcase/tour

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - January 2008

Government Technology - January 2008 Contents Point of View Big Picture The Last Mile On the Scene CIO Sightings Four Questions for... Spectrum Location, Location, Location Digital Governor Back to the Drawing Board Waukesha Goes Green Collaring Dangerous Dogs Public Sector Goes Web 2.0 Bounce Back SACWIS Rollout Simple Strategy Products Personal Computing How It Works signal:noise

Government Technology - January 2008

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