10 Steps to NG9-1-1 Readiness in 2020

DATAMARK’s New Years’ resolution is to assist our community in maintaining the most accurate Public Safety GIS data possible. To facilitate this, we have constructed a list of 10 things you can do to improve your GIS data in 2020.

Let’s have a happy and safe New Year!

1. Start the Conversation with Stakeholders – 911 authorities, addressing authorities and GIS data providers speak different languages. Education is key!

2. Schedule A Meeting – Get the ball rolling with introductions and discussion of requirements with local and regional stakeholders

3. Educate Yourself and your stakeholders – Engage the disparate groups in webinars, workshops and, in the least, share best practice and standards documents.

4. Make a Plan – Keep it simple. what are the big steps on the path…give guidance (show purposeful order)

5. Assess Current State of GIS Data – This will help determine level of effort, reveal data anomalies, may include gather 9-1-1 (MSAG and ALI) and GIS datasets, helps make recommendations to decision makers.

6. Ask for resources – GIS data is being asked to do things it’s never needed to do before. It will require additional resources. Potentially staff, project funding, software/hardware, consulting and more.

7. Acquire Data Where You Don’t Have It – There are lots of data sources you may not think of…existing local, county, state or federal data to use as a starting point. Whenever possible use authoritative sources. Don’t reinvent the wheel.

8. Consider Data Quality – Availability, completeness, accuracy, timeliness, consistency.

9. Work Toward Agreements and Workflows – This will help mitigate risk.

10. Rinse, Wash, Repeat – Maintain, validate… It’s a lifetime, iterative process.