For immediate release:
July 18, 2011
For more information, contact:
Valerie Berton
Communications Manager
Montgomery County Planning Department
301/495-4600
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department’s technology team yesterday became the recipient of Esri International’s Special Achievement in GIS Award, an honor that recognizes the team’s work from among 300,000 organizations worldwide.
The Department’s GIS team was lauded for creating interactive, informative web tools linked to county maps. The online tools enable users to locate features such as forest conservation easements. The interactive maps also provide two-way communication between the public and planners via email links attached to the maps.
For example, the Department’s latest tool using GIS technology allows users to find historic places throughout Montgomery County. The historic preservation locator page features a countywide map displaying places designated historic by the county or placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Users can type in addresses or click on communities and zoom in to see more detail.
Owners of historic sites are required to go through the Historic Area Work Permit process for exterior changes and are eligible for state and local tax credits. Providing information about which sites are designated helps homeowners as well as community members protect significant historical resources.
The webpage is one of several online features designed to make county planning transparent and accessible.
The award highlights “extraordinary achievements using Esri software.” Other awards went to school district sites, municipalities and the San Diego Zoo.
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