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Client:  Tony Peak, Manager Property and Rates, City of Whitehorse

Whitehorse City Council, located 15 km east of the CBD, has a resident population of 145,000 people. Council has 1100 staff delivering more than 120 different services to the community and managing approximately $1.5 billion of assets.

Council has long recognised the importance of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to effective service delivery. In 2009, the GIS Team successfully operated a comprehensive suite of GIS technologies delivering a range of information services used by over 300 staff. Council also made spatial based information on services available to the general public through its website via Whitehorse Mapping - GIS Online. The GIS Online website received ESRI Australia’s 2007 Web GIS Challenge Award.

In 2004, Council commissioned Spatial Vision to undertake a consultancy to consider where it was going with GIS and how it would be used in the future. The 2005 - 2010 GIS Strategy laid the foundations for many GIS projects undertaken since. In 2009, with GIS a well established and essential part of Council operations, Council sought to identify future directions for GIS and related spatial technologies over the next five years. Spatial Vision consulting services were recruited to define the 2010 – 2015 GIS Strategy.

Spatial Vision ran a series of workshops to help Council staff to learn more about spatial technology trends with potential future application to Council. These workshops clearly highlighted that GIS technology plays a vital role in supporting Council operations, decision making and service delivery to the community.

The outcomes from the consultation were considered together with the implications of new technologies on the delivery of GIS software and services to define the new GIS Strategy. The Strategy focused on the three key areas of:

• Ensuring the reliability of the existing spatial systems,
• Building on the spatial systems, procedures, data and personnel in place, and
• Adding value to existing Council strategic and operational strategic decision making.
  

The Strategy identified priorities for deployment of GIS technology and supporting services to improve utilisation within the organisation. It recommended a list of proposed activities, their cost implications and an implementation work plan.

This strategy will help to ensure that continued investment in GIS will provide benefits to the organisation for its daily and strategic operations.

“Spatial Vision provided us with the external expertise and assistance needed to best identify and position the future role of GIS within our organization. We are now well equipped to develop business cases for investment decisions over the next 5 years.  Overall, Spatial Vision delivered a quality solution with strong business credibility.”
Tony Peak
Manager Property and Rates
City of Whitehorse.

Demonstrated Capabilities

• Strategic business planning
• Directions for spatial and web technologies
• Best practice information management
• Engaging consultative techniques.

Resources

Graeme Martin
Lucy Minato