18138_Authority_Feb

20 The Authority | February 2025 D eveloping a G eospatial S trategy By Andrew Malmgren, Engineering Support Technician, Lancaster Area Sewer Authority Location, location, location! It’s not just the most important thing in real estate, it’s also vital to understanding and improving authority operations. All of an authority’s physical assets can be described in terms of their location and spatial relationship with other assets. Additionally, an authority’s service area can be taken as a location in and of itself, or divided into smaller subareas such as municipalities, census tracts, watersheds, and drainage basins. Data concerning physical locations and spatial relationships can be classified as “location-based data.” Location based data can be broadly divided into two types: physical locations and spatial relationships. Physical location refers to where an asset is. This can be as precise as survey grade coordinates or as broad as a description of a general area. Spatial relationship is the position of an asset relative to others. For example, a manhole is upstream of some pipe runs and manholes, and downstream of others. The same manhole can also be described by its location within a subarea. Records of location-based data can range from handwritten notes on physical documents to digital databases. The technologies used to manage and analyze digital location- based data are called geographic information systems (GIS). GIS is not necessarily dependent on a specific software package, although Esri’s ArcGIS platform is dominant in the U.S. market. GIS is not only capable of storing location-based data; it can be used as a storehouse for information about nearly all attributes of an asset. Like any tool, GIS can best be utilized with a strategy. A geospatial strategy is a plan to use location-based data and GIS to further an organization’s goals. It can encompass existing resources as well as recommendations for the future. The process of developing an effective geospatial strategy can be divided into the three phases listed below. 1. Definition of Goals 2. Assessment of Current Capabilities/Resources 3. Strategy Planning A strategy can only be as effective as its goals. As such, specific goals with measurable success criteria must be chosen prior to the development of a geospatial strategy. Goals should not be chosen with GIS in mind; but relate to the interests of an organization. It can be tempting to choose goals that demonstrate the capabilities of GIS technology, but the purpose of the geospatial strategy is promote the goals of an organization, not the technology. Geospatial strategies can be developed to support single goals or multifaceted strategic plans. GIS and location-based data can be implemented in a variety of ways, and a more specific plan will generally be more effective. A thorough and honest assessment of an authority’s current capabilities and resources is an important part of developing a geospatial strategy. Existing sources of location-based data should be cataloged and described. Potentials sources include GIS, paper maps and records, and information stored in work order or asset management databases. An effective geospatial strategy will integrate location- based data from various sources. The capabilities of an authority’s employees should also be documented while creating a geospatial strategy. In addition to technical skills, the ability of employees to promote the benefits of the geospatial strategy across the authority