Florida’s Washington County Engages DATAMARK for GIS and NG9-1-1 Preparedness

Six-month project includes DATAMARK QAP, ACE and VEP

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., June 12, 2019 – Washington County, Florida has chosen DATAMARK to lead its geographic information systems (GIS) and Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) preparation and transition project. The completed project will provide accurate GIS addressing data for the county’s current and future public safety operations, as well as the Department of Public Works and Hurricane Michael relief efforts.

“As a small rural county, we don’t have the time or staff for labor-intensive processes like driving the entire county to tag addresses that were missing for whatever reason in our dataset,” said Clint Erickson, Washington County Board of County Commissioners, E911 Mapping and Addressing and E911 Coordinator. “We needed a public safety and GIS expert to come in and quickly help us meet the fairly strict GIS data standards for Next-Gen 9-1-1. From applying for a state grant to training the staff, DATAMARK provided Washington County with alternative and cost-effective methods to collect and validate missing address data and get it into a software solution that benefits the entire county.”

With a total population of 24,880, Washington County faces challenges that may not be evident in larger counties, such as limited manpower and financial resources. In the early stages of the relationship, DATAMARK assisted Washington County in its State of Florida grant application process, helping them successfully secure funding for the GIS and NG9-1-1 project. The project is currently being implemented and includes three elements phased over six months:

• Developing a DATAMARK Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) assessing the accuracy, completeness and coordination of NG9-1-1 GIS data preparation. Once complete, the QAP provides compiled results, a breakdown of the relevant NG9-1-1 standards and recommendations for implementation success.
• Executing a DATAMARK Address Comparison and Evaluation (ACE) that focuses on missing addressing data and developing a master road and address database (MRAD). This process includes geocoding address candidates and maintaining an authoritative MRAD.
• Deploying DATAMARK VEP to validate, edit and provision GIS data required for NG9-1-1. DATAMARK VEP is a SaaS-based scalable solution that meets the needs of large or small counties with or without GIS expertise and enables a multi-jurisdictional approach to cross-validate data with neighboring communities.

“Accurate GIS data is required for public safety departments moving to NG9-1-1 and has the potential to positively impact other county planning groups, including disaster relief efforts,” said Luke Granlund, Business Development Advocate, DATAMARK. “DATAMARK’s suite of public safety GIS services and solutions assist small or large communities with GIS data to support E911 and NG9-1-1 initiatives. In Washington County, our  team of GIS experts helped overcome Washington County’s challenges while improving their public safety workflows.”

DATAMARK’s public safety and GIS experts will also provide on-site and/or virtual training for Washington County, allowing users to acquire critical knowledge to support and use DATAMARK VEP effectively. Washington County can also leverage DATAMARK’s Customer Support Center within the DATAMARK VEP interface for ongoing technical support.

DATAMARK executives will demonstrate the full DATAMARK VEP platform and discuss the benefits of NG9-1-1-ready GIS data at the NENA 2019 conference next week in Orlando. Demos will take place in booth #211 every 30 minutes during exhibit hall hours on June 16 and 17. To register for a demo, please click here.