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Town of Culpeper, VA Launches New Online GIS System By SiteVision, Inc.

Roanoke, VA January 18, 2014: The Town of Culpeper, VA has formally launched its new online GIS System (http://townofculpeperva.gisbrowser.com). SiteVision, Inc. (http://www.sitevision.com) is providing the new GIS system as software as a service (SAAS) under a Commonwealth of Virginia Hosting Contract which is available to all public agencies (local, regional, state), and to other states as well. SiteVision developed the site to be cross-platform compatible and accessible via mobile devices.

Prior to selecting SiteVision, Inc. as its SaaS/hosting vendor, The Town of Culpeper GIS and IT Department surveyed the needs of its residents and system stakeholders. The Town then outlined the necessary and most requested mapping functions, layers, data sources, reports, tools, etc. to be required in their new online GIS system.

SiteVision first began working with the Town to help establish CAD and GIS data interoperability standards, maintenance procedures, and to create and test related Internet map services. These initial tasks\services were contracted by the Town to SiteVision, Inc. through the Commonwealth of Virginia’s IT Contingent Labor Contract.

The Town of Culpeper’s new system utilizes more than 30 map services from several sources including SiteVision, Inc., the Town of Culpeper, Culpeper County, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Town maintains all of their own GIS and CAD data and uploads their data updates to the new online GIS system at least once a month.

Users may query and access real estate tax and assessment database record(s) and related tax map parcels, download property cards, and view points of Interest (Police, Fire, Schools, etc.) with notes and links to more information. The user can draw and measure features on the map, locate GPS points or coordinates, and save, copy or print a custom map. The system also allows users to download reports and tables in Adobe or MS Excel format.

“We tried to incorporate the most requested new features into the project,” said GIS coordinator Autumn Fitch. “The biggest thing is that it is cross compatible with so many browsers.” –Star Exponent, Posted: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 12:15 am | Updated: 6:29 am, Tue Nov 12, 2013.

The overall project stayed within the existing GIS budget with no additional costs to taxpayers, according to the town. –Star Exponent, Posted: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 12:15 am | Updated: 6:29 am, Tue Nov 12, 2013.

Daniel Shaffer, Director, Geospatial Division for SiteVision, added “With today’s economy, many public agencies are stuck in legacy online GIS systems with no foreseeable way out. Our SaaS plans allow public agencies to migrate to the latest systems while spending little to no upfront fees or costs. The agency pays for the SaaS service on a flexible monthly, quarterly or yearly schedule.”

“It was a privilege working with the Town of Culpeper,” said Patrick Maddox, CEO of SiteVision. “They did a careful assessment of their needs and were highly professional to work with. The result is an outstanding GIS system designed with the most recent features available.”

SiteVision, Inc. (www.sitevision.com) is an Internet application development, consulting, design and hosting firm providing solutions for a broad spectrum of markets and industries, as well as for state, federal and international entities. Expertise includes custom, back-end dynamic applications, consulting to achieve unique goals, geographic information systems (GIS), content management systems, hosting services including, map and GIS application hosting, as well as custom and dedicated hosting solutions.

SiteVision, Inc. participates in, or is available through, the following state and federal contracting vehicles:

The firm has its home office in Roanoke, VA, with sales offices in Charlottesville, VA and Miami, FL.

Cloud Computing & SaaS – Hotter Than Ever

[image source_type=”attachment_id” source_value=”3956″ align=”left” size=”medium” autoHeight=”true” quality=”100″] If a clear definition of Saas and Cloud Computing is a little confusing, we liked this definition for its simplicity: “Software as a service (SaaS) is the application and the cloud is the place where you store the data from that app (and in most cases the application itself).” ¹ There are more complex breakdowns, (Hybrid, Private, etc.) but not for today.

What’s The Point?

As our traditional computing methods fast-forward from hard-wired PC’s to digital, fully mobile devices, traditional unit-priced software and dedicated hardware becomes increasingly troublesome. We need immediate and shared access to critical information, and collaborative communication on the fly. In other words, we need dynamic, rather than static information distribution. Enter Cloud computing and Software as a Service: each is available anywhere at any time and can be rapidly updated digitally. When properly conceived and implemented, hardware and software cost reductions can be impressive. There are caveats, of course, but such is the case with technology in general.

Industry Trends

For instance, According to Forrester research data, the SaaS segment will far exceed the revenue of the other areas. The analyst firm predicts SaaS total revenues to reach $21.2 billion in 2011 and more than quadruple to $92.8 billion by 2016. This is 26% of the entire packaged software market. However, Forrester predicts SaaS will reach a saturation point in five years, and growth will slow between 2016 and 2020.²

Further, Gartner Research feels PC’s out; cloud in by 2014.³ To clarify, not out, as in permanently out, but as business and consumer users aggregate digital devices, cloud based computing will increase dramatically. We believe these technologies will eventually mitigate some of the problems posed by incompatible operating systems. PC’s will continue to be a part of the picture, but as only one of many options.

Universal Examples

There are lots of handy, if not impressive, boutique cloud offerings, serving niche needs for a variety of businesses, but we’ll just touch on a just a few of the major general offerings:

In All, Does Your Business Need The “Cloud”?

There is no doubt, the cloud computing is going to be a part of your future, but one way to approach this technology is to leverage your existing legacy system without ditching your entire investment. It’s probably time to explore the shift from static, difficult to manage data processes, to dynamic, virtualized resources that are available on the fly.

If you feel, it’s time to take a look, or to better understand this technology; SiteVision offers VPS/Cloud Hosting, as well as integrating or developing SaaS solutions. You can call us anytime for additional information.

¹ http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/12/small-business-software-trends-2012.html
²http://www.cmswire.com/cms/information-management/forrester-predicts-saas-will-own-all-other-cloud-segments-011005.php
³http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1944914

Why SiteVision?

We’re your advocate. SiteVision has been providing web development and hosting services to government agencies and non-profit organizations for over 20 years. We understand how overwhelming it can be to seek out a reliable solution for you website, custom application, and hosting needs.

At SiteVision we are passionate about creating solutions for customers that make their life better. We excel at understanding your business process and developing an application that is easy to learn and operate. We will always be fair, knowledgeable, honest, and professional.

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