"The GIS has already benefited our office," Wise County Commonwealth Attorney Chad Dotson told supervisors last Thursday. He said crime mapping will help his office and law enforcement track when and where crime occurs.

"This is something that will help the county," Dotson said during a public hearing on the draft ordinance that would create a geographic information sciences department.

It's time to transform GIS into an "enterprise" system that involves multiple departments and agencies, says circuit court clerk Jack Kennedy. He gave each supervisor a folder that contained letters from seven officials - including Dotson - who support the new GIS office.

Supervisors are considering the draft ordinance at Kennedy's request.

In general terms, GIS refers to a system that displays - in graphic form - information contained in a computer database. For example, the database might include the street addresses of recent crimes. GIS shows where those spots are located on a map, helping officials see where crimes are occurring in Wise County.

The new GIS department would coordinate its activities with the building and zoning office, circuit court clerk's office, commissioner of revenue's office, 911 center, sheriff's department and other offices involved in the use of mapping.

The circuit court clerk's office - with tons of help from local students - has developed about 100 GIS mapping "layers" for various features such as roads, schools, cemeteries, water sources and voting locations. There were 20 layers when the project debuted in March 2001.

There's a definite need for a new department to focus solely on maintaining GIS, Kennedy says. Roughly 300 to 500 parcels change every year, he said, and must be updated. And there's the work of maintaining all of the GIS layers, he said during last Thursday's hearing.

Supervisors could take action tonight on the proposed ordinance establishing a new GIS department. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in room 141 of the Wise courthouse.

WORDS OF SUPPORT

Following are highlights of the seven letters distributed to supervisors last week:

* Commonwealth attorney. The GIS department would ensure the quality, accuracy and timely development of digital geographic data and allow collaboration between government agencies, Dotson wrote. "(My) office has witnessed firsthand the benefits of the existing geographic information system and realizes the potential an advanced GIS could have on local government and the community."

* Public service authority. The Wise County PSA supports this endeavor, according to assistant director Donnie Dowell. PSA completed electronic maps of its water infrastructure in 2002, he wrote, allowing the agency to determine water lines, pressure-reducing valves, pump stations, water junctions, water tanks and fire hydrant locations.

PSA water infrastructure data can be integrated with GIS layers containing real estate parcel maps, water discharge points, dams, sewer lines, public water wells, flood zones, contours, highways, wetlands and more.

"Visualization of the digital mapping data with the various layers enables the PSA management to make clear decisions as to the scope of water project needs, repair, and asset management," Dowell wrote.

* Town of Wise. Wise planner and zoning administrator Laura Mullins regularly uses GIS as she reviews zoning applications and site plans. "The readily-available information is very helpful in a number of ways (such as) locating property within the town, locating adjacent property owners, and comparing locations of water and sewer lines," she wrote.

GIS information is constantly changing, Mullins wrote, and it's imperative to keep the information as current and accurate as possible. The new department can perform updates and help the public use the system.

* Engineering, surveying firm. "Our company relies on the Wise County GIS to find property owners and assessment information," wrote Phillip Seals, a surveyor with Appalachian Technical Services. "ATS also uses (it) for downloading deeds and plats as well as measuring areas and distances."

"The creation of a new GIS department would be of benefit to our firm as well as the entire county. A GIS department will enable a direct focus of maintaining the current GIS system," Seals wrote.

* Attorney. Using GIS helps engineers, surveyors, banks and lawyers better serve their clients, Wise attorney Leonard Rogers wrote. "The data available with GIS is also a great marketing tool in the efforts to bring business and industry to Wise County."

"The need for a separate GIS department cannot be more pressing. The current setup puts too much of a strain on the resources of the Wise County Circuit Court Clerk's Office. If the Clerk is forced to abandon the GIS project, it would be a great loss to the citizens of Wise County," Rogers wrote.

* Surveyor. Roy Balthis, a land surveyor from the Pound area, says he's always supported the geographic information system. "Since the creation of this highly technical system, advances have been made enabling more efficient productivity," he wrote.

"The county's mapping needs to be kept current and the creation of a new department will allow the time and effort to be spent solely on maintenance and creation of the GIS mapping layers. The parcel mapping is invaluable to me as a surveyor," Balthis wrote.

* Lawyer. Norton attorney Gary Gilliam recommends supervisors establish the new department. "Surely there are hundreds of business uses and other uses to be had for free and instant printable maps of any location in Wise County. This system goes hand-in-hand with progress for Wise County," he wrote.

"I found the system to be invaluable in the capital murder case" against Harless Rose, Gilliam wrote. Gilliam, who was assistant commonwealth attorney at the time, introduced GIS maps to show the jury that "the distance the murderer traveled was short enough to permit him to run the escape path and still be at a location where his alibi witnesses placed him shortly after the murder."