land use and community planning – Geospatial Technology

August 21, 2019August 21, 2019

Perseverance Pays Off: How a Small Community in Iowa put GIS to Work

This story features one person’s five-year odyssey to bring the power of geospatial system technology to his small hometown in rural Iowa. It serves as an inspiration for other rural leaders who are intrigued by the possibilities of implementing geographic information systems (GIS) to serve their citizens.

In 1999 Bob Schultz, a training consultant for Iowa State University and the Iowa Department of Transportation, dreamed of putting the power of geographic information systems (GIS) to work in his rural hometown. …

August 21, 2019August 21, 2019

Protecting cold water streams: GIS tackles thermal loading in urban watersheds

Stream in the woods

Cold-water streams are susceptible to a growing problem in rapidly urbanizing areas: thermal loading from heated water that runs off of streets, roofs, and parking lots. A new Dane County, Wisconsin, ordinance is aimed at managing thermal loading, along with other storm water and soil erosion concerns. Using geographic information systems (GIS) and other digital tools, Dane County landowners, developers, and conservationists can now identify land parcels that drain into vulnerable watersheds and predict thermal impacts …