NEW PALESTINE — The town has invested $6,350 to purchase a new geographic information system to help officials keep track of where their wastewater pipes and lift stations are buried.
The town has relied on old paper maps in the past as well as knowledge of former town employees to know where critical infrastructure is buried. That information now will be available on digital maps.
“The newer GIS systems are just such a big tool for any community to have,” town manager Jim Robinson said. “This has been something we’ve needed and should have had years ago, particularly since there has been so much growth in the area.”
County officials use a system known as Beacon, an interactive public access portal that allow users to view information. The information there is something town officials can now add to their local system, Robinson said.
If the system works as planned town officials will be able to add layers to their data that include road information and property lines. Robinson plans to have his street supervisor take photos of all town roads import them digitally into the new system to help maintain better maintenance need records.
The data will help town officials keep better track of all their roads, something town officials have struggled with in the past, causing them to lose out on thousands of dollars in state revenue because some streets weren’t listed in the town’s inventory.
The tool also help with town planning as the population continues to grow.
In addition to the $6,350 cost, the town will pay an annual fee of $1,250 to store data and keep their computer system up to date. Robinson will go through a training class to make sure he understands all the details of the electronic mapping system.
