The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George has launched new online mapping software which is bringing the region into sharper focus.
The system, called RDgeo, provides developers, real estate agents and the general public with information they'd previously have to call or visit the regional district office to obtain, district information technology manager Steve Botham said.
"It's a way to communicate our data in a user-friendly way," Botham said. "Our system can pull satellite images from the B.C. provincial government's website. You can click on a single parcel and get information about it."
Botham said the free software, available online at www.rdffg.bc.ca, can provide information including lot measurements, addresses, PID numbers, B.C. Assessment number, services and utilities available, fire protection areas, links to zoning and Official Community Plan information, GIS information and more.
"We're not providing any private information," Botham said.
Already information from the site, which launched in June, is being used by RCMP, emergency responders and real estate agents, Botham said.
The site can also be used to make customized maps - a feature popular with tourism operators and developers, he said.
"We've had a lot of developers using it as a picture of what they plan to do," he said. "We've had lots of bed and breakfast operators use it to make maps to their sites."
The regional district information on the site is updated weekly and draws on, or links to, information from other government agency websites and Google Maps to provide a one-stop location for information.
"Rather than duplicate the efforts of other agencies, we're trying to provide links to the information," he said. "What we're looking for is agencies that are providing data in a more interactive format."
The open-government movement provincially may result in more information from organizations like B.C. Assessment being available publicly, Botham said.
"The feedback we've gotten has been positive. Mostly there have been requests for more data and features," he said.
Regional district director and Prince George city councillor Garth Frizzell said larger municipalities, including Prince George, having already been providing some of this data in online mapping. However, the regional district is leading the province for rural mapping information.
"This is really promising," Frizzell said. "We're cutting edge here."
