USA–Baltic is joining a growing number of small towns as it works to install a Geographic Information System that will improve the management of city infrastructure.
In Baltic, city officials say the GIS system will keep track of many aspects of city information, including water, sewer and street data that can be updated daily. It also will help keep city records organised, up-to-date and readily available, allowing officials to quickly find information and track economic development.
It can help officials decide, for example, which roads should be resurfaced next or where to extend water and sewer lines, or it could keep a record of how many times maintenance workers had to respond to a water main break.
As a first step, the City Council approved $4,500 for a city map to be drawn by engineers at Banner Associates in Brookings and to provide training for city employees. The council is expected to approve the remaining money.
Once the initial map is drawn, applications can be added to organise multiple sources of information so it can be viewed easily in one area. The information can be accessed in separate layers, such as sewer lines, manholes, lots, city blocks or an aerial photo.
