GIS & Mapping

Responsibilities

The County of Stettler's GIS Department is responsible for the collection, maintenance, and distribution of the county's geographic data. We offer a number of GIS related services to county staff, ratepayers, government organizations, and private business. You can view information about functions within this section.


 Purpose

A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer based system for storing, analyzing, and managing data that is spatially referenced to the earth. It is a tool that allows users to organize and display data in a visual representation, usually in the form of a map.


GIS can be used in a diverse range of fields from resource management to the real estate industry, from oil/gas to criminology and emergency planning, or from planning and development of urban and rural areas to environmental impact assessments.

Common Purposes

Some common uses of GIS today include:
  • 911 dispatching
  • Asset management
  • Decision tool in urban planning
  • Environmental protection
  • Hand held and vehicle GPS units
  • Pipeline location planning
  • Web mapping (Google Maps)

Use & Functions


Some examples of how the county uses GIS include:
  • Aerial photography
  • As a tool in making informed decisions with regards to land use and subdivision planning
  • GPS in vehicles to route emergency service vehicles to emergencies
  • Hamlet / subdivision maps
  • Land ownership maps
  • Maps of roads to be graded, which helps in future planning of road maintenance
  • Maps of the current and future road improvement plans
  • Soils and topography mapping
The county's GIS Department is always exploring ways to expand their GIS services to the public and to staff.

Automatic Vehicle Locating System (AVL)

County vehicles, (including graders, trucks, mowers, sprayer units, ambulance, fire vehicles, and community peace officer vehicles) are equipped with a GPS that records data from the units. This data can then be used as a tool in daily planning activities. Included in this system are in-vehicle computers which assist in providing real time information to vehicle operators.

This provides routing information for emergency service vehicles as well as important land and property information that allows county staff to respond quickly to public inquiries. AVL is important for the county to assist in planning grader beats, to map areas that have been sprayed, mowed, or graded, and in ensuring the safety of county employees.