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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: May 18, 1993 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item # V - <br /> SUBJECT: GIS IMPLEMENTATION IN PLANNING DEPARTMENT <br /> DEPARTMENT: PLANNING PUBLIC HEARING Yes x No <br /> ATTACHMENT(S) : INFORMATION CONTACT: Planning Director <br /> Extension 2592 <br /> None <br /> TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br /> Hillsborough - 732-8181 <br /> Durham - 688-7331 <br /> Mebane - 227-2031 <br /> Chapel Hill - 967-9251 <br /> PURPOSE: To receive a report on implementation of the geographic <br /> information system in the Planning Department. <br /> BACKGROUND: In 1989, Orange County committed to the installation and <br /> development of a geographic information system. In 1991, <br /> a work station, digitizing table, and plotter were placed <br /> in the Information Services Division of the Planning <br /> Department. <br /> Beginning in 1990 and extending through most of 1992, the <br /> Information Services Division staff participated in a <br /> variety of training courses, ranging from a graduate <br /> course at UNC to in-house training by a GIS specialist. <br /> Of all the training, that provided by the GIS specialist <br /> was most beneficial, since the Information Services staff <br /> could work in the office and use local data in a series of <br /> learning exercises. <br /> Since September of 1992, the staff has begun the process <br /> of building a database for the Planning Department. <br /> Rather than create new databases through the digitizing <br /> process, the staff has checked first to determine the <br /> availability of existing data from Federal, State, and <br /> local sources. The most important of the databases <br /> acquired to date is the soil survey of the county prepared <br /> by the Soil Conservation Service. <br /> The Information Services Division staff has been working <br /> on a number of projects, both large and small, in addition <br /> to building various database layers. These include: <br /> - Digitizing the County Public Roads map <br />