Baton Rouge area businesses that rely heavily on real-time Geographic Information System mapping data for land development, engineering and construction projects will be among those that will benefit from a new web portal launched to enhance public access to GIS location-based data.
Mayor Kip Holden announced the launch of the web portal this morning, saying it is another example of the city-parish’s push to digitize public data. The portal launch comes just a week after the city-parish launched a new website called Open Budget BR to help citizens better track how their tax dollars are being spent. In late January, the city-parish launched the Open Data BR website, offering a treasure trove of East Baton Rouge Parish data, ranging from crime statistics to recently filed building permits.
“When I announced earlier this year that we were serious about turning our city-parish government into a hub for digital innovation, I meant it,” Holden says in a prepared statement. “Open Data BR served as the initial catalyst that showed what all is possible when we focus our efforts into digitizing and publishing our city-parish data in a way that puts it in the hands of our citizens. Today’s launch of our new GIS map portal takes that commitment a step further by disseminating complex mapping data in a way that citizens, businesses and even other city-parish departments can use it to better understand government services and make informed decisions in crisis situations.”
The new portal provides the public with access to more than 80 on-demand, GIS web services, ranging from a real-time traffic map to historic land development and flood zone determination maps. Residents can also utilize the “My Government Services” app, which allows the public to find services available at a particular location such as trash and recycling pick-up days or the nearest community center or library.
