Volume 10, Number 1 Spring 2006

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY908 Michaelian Office Building148 Martine AvenueWhite Plains, NY 10601

Articles and graphics in this newsletter prepared by: Xiaobo Cui, Paul Gisondo, Noah Goldberg, Ana Hiraldo, Cindy Louie, Deborah Parker, Ilir Tota, Michael Swee, Sam Wear, and Tong Zhou.

http://www.westchestergov.comWestchester County GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

is published by the Westchester County Department of Information Technology

Andrew J. Spano, County Executive

Andrew J. SpanoCounty Executive

Dr. Norman J. JacknisChief Information Officer

Sam WearGIS Manager

Department of Information TechnologyGeographic Information Systems

GIS

EEEE OOOO GGGG RRRR AAAA PPPP HHHH IIII CCCC

NNNN FFFF OOOO RRRR MMMM AAAA TTTT IIII OOOO NNNN

YYYY SSSS TTTT EEEE MMMM SSSS

Dr. Norman J. Jacknis, Chief Information Officer

GIS Receives SGIS Receives Sttate Grant to Support Vate Grant to Support Vacant Parcel Inventoryacant Parcel InventoryHudson River communities will be focus of detailed GIS mapping project

Westchester County GIS has recentlyreceived funding through the New YorkState Department of EnvironmentalHudson River Estuary Grant Program(http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/hud-son/hrep.html) to conduct a comprehen-sive GIS-based mapping inventory ofvacant properties in 14 Hudson riverfrontcommunities including Peekskill,Cortlandt, Ossining, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson, Briarcliff Manor, SleepyHollow, Tarrytown, Irvington, DobbsFerry, Hastings, and portions of Yonkersand Mt. Pleasant. The project, which istitled “Westchester County VacantProperty Inventory,” is differentiatedfrom previous open space mapping initia-tives in the county in that this inventorywill be based on digital tax parcel data. In keeping with grant guidelines, vacantparcels will be also be inventoried incontext of criteria such as: (1) proximityto existing open space areas as designated

on the 2004 Westchester County OpenSpace Map, (2) watershed and drainagebasins, (3) properties within 500 feet ofstream corridors, and (4) parcels whichmay have unique or special naturalresources/environmental characteristicsas designated by local planning staff orconsultants. Data collected during theproject will be integrated into an on-lineweb mapping application entitled theHudson River Communities Open SpaceData Viewer which will be hosted byWestchester County GIS during the pro-ject and is intended to broaden communi-ty-wide awareness of the project. The proposed ArcIMS application willinclude online links to other relevant web-site and information sources includingWestchester County Proposal for OpenSpace (http://www.westchestergov.com/openspace), the Westchester Land Trust(http://www.westchesterlandtrust.org), theScenic Hudson (http://www.scenichud-

son.org) and the Open Space Institute(http://www.osiny.org/home.asp), amongother organizations.Data developed by Westchester CountyGIS as part of this project will be madeavailable in industry standard formatESRI coverage (.E00 export) and shape-file formats which are compatible withmapping systems being used by agenciesinvolved in open space planning in thelower Hudson Valley.Project initiation is scheduled to beginApril 2006 with data collection, analysis,and web mapping applications anticipat-ed to take 15 months to complete. Formore information on the Hudson RiverEstuary Grant GIS project, contact AnaHiraldo at (914) 995-4416 or Sam Wearat (914) 995-3047. The project can alsobe monitored by visiting the county'sGIS website at http://giswww.westch-estergov.com.

Desktop GIS for OfDesktop GIS for Office Of Emergency Management (OEM)fice Of Emergency Management (OEM)Using ArcReader (www.esri.com/arcreader)Westchester County's Office of EmergencyManagement (OEM) is increasing recogniz-ing the benefits of GIS technology. In the

past, OEM relied heavily on county GIS staffto produce a wide range of hardcopy mapsand documents. Today, OEM staff now usesArcReader to produce maps for training pur-

In most areas of the county, digital tax maps are now registered to the countywide base map and canbe draped over orthophotography. This image is one illustration of the various types of “vacant”property classifications (urban, residential, waterfront, etc) in one Westchester County municipality.

poses, emergency response routes, and theroutine mapping of Emergency ResponsePlanning Areas (ERPA) and fire and EMS dis-tricts.One major project OEM staff is usingArcReader extensively for is in context ofcountywide hurricane preparedness and emer-gency response plans. In the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina, several local governmentsare currently redrafting or establishing evacu-ation plans and educating residents about whatactions to take in the event of a hurricane. Aspart of this work, OEM has produced several“Hurricane Flood Inundation” maps for manyof the coastal areas. Maps illustrate the poten-tial extent of flooding throughout the commu-nity, showing how increased water levelsmight affect important critical facilities andlocal road networks.The initial ArcReader published map file(pmf) was created with ESRI's ArcMap 9.1software using the Publisher extension.“The Office of Emergency Managementuses GIS in all stages of emergencies,”states Noah Goldberg, OEM program spe-cialist. “GIS is instrumental in supportingOEM functions on a daily basis”. For moreinformation contact, Cindy Louie atllc4@westchestergov.com or NoahGoldberg at ndg1@westchestergov.com.

2nd AnnualGIS GIS WWorkshoporkshop

for Engineering & Public Works

May 19, 2006

9:00 AM - 3:30 PMWestchester County Center

Westchester County GIS continues itsseries of skill learning presentationsfocusing on the integration of GIS, CAD,and GPS. This year's workshop will offera three-hour course entitled “GeographicInformation Systems, Engineering andCAD” which has been approved for three(3) Professional Development Hour(PDH) credits through the PracticingInstitute of Engineering (PIE). Cost forthe PDH course is $25/person.Registration and agenda information isavailable on the county GIS website athttp://giswww.westchestergov.com.

The Office of Emergency Management produces many maps for emergency response plans. The abili-ty to analyze, view and print features such as flood and hurricane inundation zones and reference to thesurrounding community has proved to be very useful.

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWHITE PLAINS, NY

PERMIT NO. 261

4

County Receives ORPS Grant County Receives ORPS Grant Westchester County GIS has received fund-ing from the New York State Office of RealProperty Services (ORPS) 2005-2006 TaxAdministration Technology ImprovementGrant Program (RPTATIP) to conduct acomprehensive countywide tax map admin-istration and/or standardization feasibilitystudy. The proposed study will providegovernment officials, the general public,and business and industry representativeswith detailed information on the opportuni-ties or limitations of increased county par-ticipation in tax map administration. Theproposed study will also provide electedofficials and government administratorswith an overview of current GIS technolo-gy tools in supporting tax map maintenanceprograms. The study is anticipated to be ini-tiated in May of this year. For more infor-mation contact Westchester County TaxCommissioner David Jackson atdbj1@westchestergov.com or Ana Hiraldoat aeh2@westchestergov.com

MetMetadatadata Ta TrainingrainingGIS metadata training courses continue aspart of the county's Federal Geographic DataCommittee (FGDC) 2005 CooperativeAgreement Program (CAP) grant with thenext session scheduled for May 23rd at theHastings-on-Hudson Public Library(http://hastingslibrary.org/). Those attend-ing the 2-hour session will learn the basics ofmetadata, and how to search for and createmetadata for spatial datasets. Previous train-ing sessions have been held at White Plainsand Mt. Vernon. To register or for moreinformation contact Ana Hiraldo at (914)995-4416 or visit the county's website atgiswww.westchestergov.com

GIS GIS WWebsite Redesignebsite RedesignThe Westchester County GIS website hasrecently been redesigned to make user nav-igation easier and more intuitive. One ofthe major highlights of the redesign is theavailability of 2000 base map (1'=100')planimetrics - which are currently beingupdated as part of the 2005/2006 base mapproject. The planimetric datasets are nowavailable for download by municipality.Much of the functionality from the previouswebsite remains which included access anddownload capabilities for over 100 datalayers from the county's GIS database, con-tacts for local government GIS projects,presentations and publications, and accessto the county's primary interactive webmapping portal Mapping WestchesterCounty. The website also includes links tocountywide 2004 orthophotography whichcan now be downloaded from the New YorkState GIS Clearinghouse (http://www.nys-gis.state.ny.us). Visit the new site athttp://giswww.westchestergov.com.

2 3

ResidentResidents Can Now Query Gas Ss Can Now Query Gas Sttation Datation Database abase Application locates closest gas stations and cheaper gas prices

County DOT Continues to County DOT Continues to Advance GIS TAdvance GIS TechnologyechnologyIntranet and desktop applications support day-to-day operations

Over the past 2-3 years, WestchesterCounty's Department of Transportation(WCDOT) has become a significant user ofGIS programs and applications supported byWestchester County GIS. Currently, GISapplications and software are being used atvarious levels in the agency ranging fromthe non-technical user to DOT staff whichhave received more in-depth training andare utilizing advanced ArcGIS tools.Entry-level programs focus on web-basedArcIMS applications which provide basicdata query, viewing, and map making func-tionality. Illustrative of this type of appli-cation is the Bee-Line Bus Stops and BusRoutes GIS Data Viewer which has provedto be a very useful tool for the department'soperational staff. Users are able to view andquery information on the county's 63 Bee-Line bus routes and the associated 3,100+active bus stops.In another initiative where GIS is beingextensively used, WCDOT has been work-ing with staff in the New York StateDepartment of Transportation HudsonValley Transportation Management Center(TMC) on a project that will analyze trafficdisruptions and the impacts of major trafficdetours or diversions within WestchesterCounty. The emphasis of the project will beto determine the effect of the closure of spe-cific highway corridors, due to man-madeor natural disasters, on the overall trans-portation network of Westchester County.

The TMC has been using a traffic modeldeveloped by staff at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology (MIT) that analyzesthe impacts of complex traffic disruptions.In concert with DOT staff, county GIS per-sonnel are assisting in mapping and codingand configuring street centerline files withattribute data which the MIT traffic modelcan utilize. This result of the analysis willbe used to prioritize capital needs and iden-tify opportunities for redundant transporta-tion services.WCDOT has also recently become part of aRegional GIS Transportation CoordinatingCommittee. The coordinating committeewas established by The New YorkMetropolitan Transportation Committee(NYMTC) which provides a collaborativeplanning forum to address regional trans-portation-related issues and distributes fed-eral transportation funds. One of the pri-mary goals and purposes of the GISCoordinating Committee is to address theneed to create regional GIS standards withan emphasis on data sharing among GISusers in the NYMTC region. TheCommittee will also review other metropol-itan region GIS issues such as applicationdesign and data distribution. The commit-tee's last meeting was held March 2006. Formore information on DOT GIS initiatives,contact Michael Swee, Westchester CountyDept. of Transportation, at (914) 813-7760or Cindy Louie at (914) 995-3014.

Contour DatContour Data Developmenta DevelopmentWestchester County has recently initiateddevelopment of countywide two-foot con-tour data under contract with Buchart-Horn, Inc. (www.bh-ba.com) and PinnacleMapping Technologies, Inc (www.pinna-clemapping.com). The contractors will beusing the AT (aerotriangulation) solution,control network, scanned imagery, andrelated planimetric products from both the2000 and 2004 countywide base map pro-jects. The county partnered with the NYSDigital Orthoimagery Program (NYS-DOP) on the Spring 2004 photogrammet-ric project, which was flown at 600 scale,to support increased street feature map-ping and contour development. StartingMay 1, production and delivery scheduleof the contour data will be posted on thecounty's GIS website.

GIS SGIS Sttafaff Tf TrainingrainingGIS staff recently attended two ESRI soft-ware training courses at their training facil-ities in New York City. Three staff attend-ed “Advanced Analysis with ArcGIS”which covered spatial analysis tools thatare used to reveal spatial patterns in dataand introductions to the Analysis Toolbox,model builder, and python scripts.Additional staff attended the two-day“Developing Applications with ArcGISEngine” course which provided a hands-onoverview of the ESRI ArcObjects andArcGIS Engine programming components.

TTrail System Updaterail System UpdatePlanning Department GIS staff completed acomprehensive update of the CountyTrailway System data layer. This line cov-erage illustrates over 250 miles of existingand proposed trails and bicycle routeslocated within abandoned railroad rights ofway, utility and parkway rights of way andtransportation corridors. It is an extensiveupdate to the previous coverage from 1996and has been spatially adjusted to moreaccurately follow existing and proposedtrail alignments based on 2004 digital aeri-al photography. The county trail system isbased on the 2001 tri-county trail masterplan and also includes more recent trail ini-tiatives such as the Westchester RiverWalkalong the Hudson River and the ColonialGreenway in the Long Island Sound Shorearea. Also featured are the North and SouthCounty Trailways along the former PutnamROW; Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway; BronxRiver Pathway; and Old Croton AqueductTrailway; and East-West links such as theTarrytown-Kensico Trailway. Not includedare non-linear, self-contained, trail systemswithin county and other parks and openspaces. For more information contact PaulGisondo in the Planning Department atpxg3@westchestergov.com.

For the past five years, WestchesterCounty Department of ConsumerProtection (CP) has maintained a databaseof gas stations which includes facilityinformation (address, phone number,operating hours) and gasoline prices.The database is available at the CP web-site (http://www.westchestergov.com/con-sumer) and can be queried by lowestprices, location, or for those gas stationswhich may have “gas specials.” The cur-rent database includes pricing informationon 358 gas stations throughout the county.Due to the continued interest in the gasstation database – combined with therecent increase in gasoline prices –Westchester County GIS has initiatedwork with CP staff to build moreadvanced spatial queries and mappingcomponents utilizing ArcIMS technologyinto the existing gasoline database applica-tion. Version 1.0 of the GIS-based CP gas sta-tion application will allow users to queryfor (a) the closest (or within a predefinedradius; i.e., one mile, two mile, etc) gasstation from a particular street addressor intersection, (b) by municipal loca-tion, or (c) by zip code. Query resultswhich match the search criteria are pre-sented in spreadsheet format that can beprinted out with a “Print Results” but-ton. Individual stations can be selected,mapped and labeled or a “Map All

Stations” button can be selected to showall gasoline stations which meet the searchcriteria. Also, users can map selected gasstations in context of other data layersfrom the county's central GIS databasesuch as roads, community facilities, andrelated transportation features. “It's agreat enhancement to our gas price sur-vey” says John Gaccione, PublicInformation Officer, Westchester CountyConsumer Protection. “Not only can con-sumers find gas prices, now they can"map" out exactly where a station is locat-ed and what other stations are nearby. Byusing the new application, drivers will bebetter able to plan a trip and save money.”Version 2.0 of the application, which isscheduled to be released later this year, isbeing designed to include routing capabil-ities between the starting address and aselected gas station. This added function-ality utilizes ESRI's ArcIMS Route Server(http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcims-routeserver/index.html) and theNavteq's (www.navteq.com) SDC formatof the street centerline file which the coun-ty utilizes nearly exclusively for web map-ping applications. For more informationon the gasoline and gas station web map-ping program, contact either John Gaccione,Westchester County Department ofConsumer Protection, at (914) 995-2160, orTong Zhou, Westchester County GIS, at(914) 995-3012 or e-mail at taz2@westch-estergov.com.

The new Gas Station Locator application allows users to search for the closest gas station from aspecific address, street intersection, zip code or predefined radius. Search results are listed inspreadsheet format in ascending order (cheapest to highest price per gallon of gas).

The Bee-Line Bus Stops and Bus Routes GIS Data viewer allows the DOT operations staff to viewand query bus stop information by municipality and bus stop ID. Photographs of each bus stop arelinked to the database and can be viewed though the application.

County Receives ORPS Grant County Receives ORPS Grant Westchester County GIS has received fund-ing from the New York State Office of RealProperty Services (ORPS) 2005-2006 TaxAdministration Technology ImprovementGrant Program (RPTATIP) to conduct acomprehensive countywide tax map admin-istration and/or standardization feasibilitystudy. The proposed study will providegovernment officials, the general public,and business and industry representativeswith detailed information on the opportuni-ties or limitations of increased county par-ticipation in tax map administration. Theproposed study will also provide electedofficials and government administratorswith an overview of current GIS technolo-gy tools in supporting tax map maintenanceprograms. The study is anticipated to be ini-tiated in May of this year. For more infor-mation contact Westchester County TaxCommissioner David Jackson atdbj1@westchestergov.com or Ana Hiraldoat aeh2@westchestergov.com

MetMetadatadata Ta TrainingrainingGIS metadata training courses continue aspart of the county's Federal Geographic DataCommittee (FGDC) 2005 CooperativeAgreement Program (CAP) grant with thenext session scheduled for May 23rd at theHastings-on-Hudson Public Library(http://hastingslibrary.org/). Those attend-ing the 2-hour session will learn the basics ofmetadata, and how to search for and createmetadata for spatial datasets. Previous train-ing sessions have been held at White Plainsand Mt. Vernon. To register or for moreinformation contact Ana Hiraldo at (914)995-4416 or visit the county's website atgiswww.westchestergov.com

GIS GIS WWebsite Redesignebsite RedesignThe Westchester County GIS website hasrecently been redesigned to make user nav-igation easier and more intuitive. One ofthe major highlights of the redesign is theavailability of 2000 base map (1'=100')planimetrics - which are currently beingupdated as part of the 2005/2006 base mapproject. The planimetric datasets are nowavailable for download by municipality.Much of the functionality from the previouswebsite remains which included access anddownload capabilities for over 100 datalayers from the county's GIS database, con-tacts for local government GIS projects,presentations and publications, and accessto the county's primary interactive webmapping portal Mapping WestchesterCounty. The website also includes links tocountywide 2004 orthophotography whichcan now be downloaded from the New YorkState GIS Clearinghouse (http://www.nys-gis.state.ny.us). Visit the new site athttp://giswww.westchestergov.com.

2 3

ResidentResidents Can Now Query Gas Ss Can Now Query Gas Sttation Datation Database abase Application locates closest gas stations and cheaper gas prices

County DOT Continues to County DOT Continues to Advance GIS TAdvance GIS TechnologyechnologyIntranet and desktop applications support day-to-day operations

Over the past 2-3 years, WestchesterCounty's Department of Transportation(WCDOT) has become a significant user ofGIS programs and applications supported byWestchester County GIS. Currently, GISapplications and software are being used atvarious levels in the agency ranging fromthe non-technical user to DOT staff whichhave received more in-depth training andare utilizing advanced ArcGIS tools.Entry-level programs focus on web-basedArcIMS applications which provide basicdata query, viewing, and map making func-tionality. Illustrative of this type of appli-cation is the Bee-Line Bus Stops and BusRoutes GIS Data Viewer which has provedto be a very useful tool for the department'soperational staff. Users are able to view andquery information on the county's 63 Bee-Line bus routes and the associated 3,100+active bus stops.In another initiative where GIS is beingextensively used, WCDOT has been work-ing with staff in the New York StateDepartment of Transportation HudsonValley Transportation Management Center(TMC) on a project that will analyze trafficdisruptions and the impacts of major trafficdetours or diversions within WestchesterCounty. The emphasis of the project will beto determine the effect of the closure of spe-cific highway corridors, due to man-madeor natural disasters, on the overall trans-portation network of Westchester County.

The TMC has been using a traffic modeldeveloped by staff at the MassachusettsInstitute of Technology (MIT) that analyzesthe impacts of complex traffic disruptions.In concert with DOT staff, county GIS per-sonnel are assisting in mapping and codingand configuring street centerline files withattribute data which the MIT traffic modelcan utilize. This result of the analysis willbe used to prioritize capital needs and iden-tify opportunities for redundant transporta-tion services.WCDOT has also recently become part of aRegional GIS Transportation CoordinatingCommittee. The coordinating committeewas established by The New YorkMetropolitan Transportation Committee(NYMTC) which provides a collaborativeplanning forum to address regional trans-portation-related issues and distributes fed-eral transportation funds. One of the pri-mary goals and purposes of the GISCoordinating Committee is to address theneed to create regional GIS standards withan emphasis on data sharing among GISusers in the NYMTC region. TheCommittee will also review other metropol-itan region GIS issues such as applicationdesign and data distribution. The commit-tee's last meeting was held March 2006. Formore information on DOT GIS initiatives,contact Michael Swee, Westchester CountyDept. of Transportation, at (914) 813-7760or Cindy Louie at (914) 995-3014.

Contour DatContour Data Developmenta DevelopmentWestchester County has recently initiateddevelopment of countywide two-foot con-tour data under contract with Buchart-Horn, Inc. (www.bh-ba.com) and PinnacleMapping Technologies, Inc (www.pinna-clemapping.com). The contractors will beusing the AT (aerotriangulation) solution,control network, scanned imagery, andrelated planimetric products from both the2000 and 2004 countywide base map pro-jects. The county partnered with the NYSDigital Orthoimagery Program (NYS-DOP) on the Spring 2004 photogrammet-ric project, which was flown at 600 scale,to support increased street feature map-ping and contour development. StartingMay 1, production and delivery scheduleof the contour data will be posted on thecounty's GIS website.

GIS SGIS Sttafaff Tf TrainingrainingGIS staff recently attended two ESRI soft-ware training courses at their training facil-ities in New York City. Three staff attend-ed “Advanced Analysis with ArcGIS”which covered spatial analysis tools thatare used to reveal spatial patterns in dataand introductions to the Analysis Toolbox,model builder, and python scripts.Additional staff attended the two-day“Developing Applications with ArcGISEngine” course which provided a hands-onoverview of the ESRI ArcObjects andArcGIS Engine programming components.

TTrail System Updaterail System UpdatePlanning Department GIS staff completed acomprehensive update of the CountyTrailway System data layer. This line cov-erage illustrates over 250 miles of existingand proposed trails and bicycle routeslocated within abandoned railroad rights ofway, utility and parkway rights of way andtransportation corridors. It is an extensiveupdate to the previous coverage from 1996and has been spatially adjusted to moreaccurately follow existing and proposedtrail alignments based on 2004 digital aeri-al photography. The county trail system isbased on the 2001 tri-county trail masterplan and also includes more recent trail ini-tiatives such as the Westchester RiverWalkalong the Hudson River and the ColonialGreenway in the Long Island Sound Shorearea. Also featured are the North and SouthCounty Trailways along the former PutnamROW; Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway; BronxRiver Pathway; and Old Croton AqueductTrailway; and East-West links such as theTarrytown-Kensico Trailway. Not includedare non-linear, self-contained, trail systemswithin county and other parks and openspaces. For more information contact PaulGisondo in the Planning Department atpxg3@westchestergov.com.

For the past five years, WestchesterCounty Department of ConsumerProtection (CP) has maintained a databaseof gas stations which includes facilityinformation (address, phone number,operating hours) and gasoline prices.The database is available at the CP web-site (http://www.westchestergov.com/con-sumer) and can be queried by lowestprices, location, or for those gas stationswhich may have “gas specials.” The cur-rent database includes pricing informationon 358 gas stations throughout the county.Due to the continued interest in the gasstation database – combined with therecent increase in gasoline prices –Westchester County GIS has initiatedwork with CP staff to build moreadvanced spatial queries and mappingcomponents utilizing ArcIMS technologyinto the existing gasoline database applica-tion. Version 1.0 of the GIS-based CP gas sta-tion application will allow users to queryfor (a) the closest (or within a predefinedradius; i.e., one mile, two mile, etc) gasstation from a particular street addressor intersection, (b) by municipal loca-tion, or (c) by zip code. Query resultswhich match the search criteria are pre-sented in spreadsheet format that can beprinted out with a “Print Results” but-ton. Individual stations can be selected,mapped and labeled or a “Map All

Stations” button can be selected to showall gasoline stations which meet the searchcriteria. Also, users can map selected gasstations in context of other data layersfrom the county's central GIS databasesuch as roads, community facilities, andrelated transportation features. “It's agreat enhancement to our gas price sur-vey” says John Gaccione, PublicInformation Officer, Westchester CountyConsumer Protection. “Not only can con-sumers find gas prices, now they can"map" out exactly where a station is locat-ed and what other stations are nearby. Byusing the new application, drivers will bebetter able to plan a trip and save money.”Version 2.0 of the application, which isscheduled to be released later this year, isbeing designed to include routing capabil-ities between the starting address and aselected gas station. This added function-ality utilizes ESRI's ArcIMS Route Server(http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcims-routeserver/index.html) and theNavteq's (www.navteq.com) SDC formatof the street centerline file which the coun-ty utilizes nearly exclusively for web map-ping applications. For more informationon the gasoline and gas station web map-ping program, contact either John Gaccione,Westchester County Department ofConsumer Protection, at (914) 995-2160, orTong Zhou, Westchester County GIS, at(914) 995-3012 or e-mail at taz2@westch-estergov.com.

The new Gas Station Locator application allows users to search for the closest gas station from aspecific address, street intersection, zip code or predefined radius. Search results are listed inspreadsheet format in ascending order (cheapest to highest price per gallon of gas).

The Bee-Line Bus Stops and Bus Routes GIS Data viewer allows the DOT operations staff to viewand query bus stop information by municipality and bus stop ID. Photographs of each bus stop arelinked to the database and can be viewed though the application.

Volume 10, Number 1 Spring 2006

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY908 Michaelian Office Building148 Martine AvenueWhite Plains, NY 10601

Articles and graphics in this newsletter prepared by: Xiaobo Cui, Paul Gisondo, Noah Goldberg, Ana Hiraldo, Cindy Louie, Deborah Parker, Ilir Tota, Michael Swee, Sam Wear, and Tong Zhou.

http://www.westchestergov.comWestchester County GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

is published by the Westchester County Department of Information Technology

Andrew J. Spano, County Executive

Andrew J. SpanoCounty Executive

Dr. Norman J. JacknisChief Information Officer

Sam WearGIS Manager

Department of Information TechnologyGeographic Information Systems

GIS

EEEE OOOO GGGG RRRR AAAA PPPP HHHH IIII CCCC

NNNN FFFF OOOO RRRR MMMM AAAA TTTT IIII OOOO NNNN

YYYY SSSS TTTT EEEE MMMM SSSS

Dr. Norman J. Jacknis, Chief Information Officer

GIS Receives SGIS Receives Sttate Grant to Support Vate Grant to Support Vacant Parcel Inventoryacant Parcel InventoryHudson River communities will be focus of detailed GIS mapping project

Westchester County GIS has recentlyreceived funding through the New YorkState Department of EnvironmentalHudson River Estuary Grant Program(http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/hud-son/hrep.html) to conduct a comprehen-sive GIS-based mapping inventory ofvacant properties in 14 Hudson riverfrontcommunities including Peekskill,Cortlandt, Ossining, Buchanan, Croton-on-Hudson, Briarcliff Manor, SleepyHollow, Tarrytown, Irvington, DobbsFerry, Hastings, and portions of Yonkersand Mt. Pleasant. The project, which istitled “Westchester County VacantProperty Inventory,” is differentiatedfrom previous open space mapping initia-tives in the county in that this inventorywill be based on digital tax parcel data. In keeping with grant guidelines, vacantparcels will be also be inventoried incontext of criteria such as: (1) proximityto existing open space areas as designated

on the 2004 Westchester County OpenSpace Map, (2) watershed and drainagebasins, (3) properties within 500 feet ofstream corridors, and (4) parcels whichmay have unique or special naturalresources/environmental characteristicsas designated by local planning staff orconsultants. Data collected during theproject will be integrated into an on-lineweb mapping application entitled theHudson River Communities Open SpaceData Viewer which will be hosted byWestchester County GIS during the pro-ject and is intended to broaden communi-ty-wide awareness of the project. The proposed ArcIMS application willinclude online links to other relevant web-site and information sources includingWestchester County Proposal for OpenSpace (http://www.westchestergov.com/openspace), the Westchester Land Trust(http://www.westchesterlandtrust.org), theScenic Hudson (http://www.scenichud-

son.org) and the Open Space Institute(http://www.osiny.org/home.asp), amongother organizations.Data developed by Westchester CountyGIS as part of this project will be madeavailable in industry standard formatESRI coverage (.E00 export) and shape-file formats which are compatible withmapping systems being used by agenciesinvolved in open space planning in thelower Hudson Valley.Project initiation is scheduled to beginApril 2006 with data collection, analysis,and web mapping applications anticipat-ed to take 15 months to complete. Formore information on the Hudson RiverEstuary Grant GIS project, contact AnaHiraldo at (914) 995-4416 or Sam Wearat (914) 995-3047. The project can alsobe monitored by visiting the county'sGIS website at http://giswww.westch-estergov.com.

Desktop GIS for OfDesktop GIS for Office Of Emergency Management (OEM)fice Of Emergency Management (OEM)Using ArcReader (www.esri.com/arcreader)Westchester County's Office of EmergencyManagement (OEM) is increasing recogniz-ing the benefits of GIS technology. In the

past, OEM relied heavily on county GIS staffto produce a wide range of hardcopy mapsand documents. Today, OEM staff now usesArcReader to produce maps for training pur-

In most areas of the county, digital tax maps are now registered to the countywide base map and canbe draped over orthophotography. This image is one illustration of the various types of “vacant”property classifications (urban, residential, waterfront, etc) in one Westchester County municipality.

poses, emergency response routes, and theroutine mapping of Emergency ResponsePlanning Areas (ERPA) and fire and EMS dis-tricts.One major project OEM staff is usingArcReader extensively for is in context ofcountywide hurricane preparedness and emer-gency response plans. In the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina, several local governmentsare currently redrafting or establishing evacu-ation plans and educating residents about whatactions to take in the event of a hurricane. Aspart of this work, OEM has produced several“Hurricane Flood Inundation” maps for manyof the coastal areas. Maps illustrate the poten-tial extent of flooding throughout the commu-nity, showing how increased water levelsmight affect important critical facilities andlocal road networks.The initial ArcReader published map file(pmf) was created with ESRI's ArcMap 9.1software using the Publisher extension.“The Office of Emergency Managementuses GIS in all stages of emergencies,”states Noah Goldberg, OEM program spe-cialist. “GIS is instrumental in supportingOEM functions on a daily basis”. For moreinformation contact, Cindy Louie atllc4@westchestergov.com or NoahGoldberg at ndg1@westchestergov.com.

2nd AnnualGIS GIS WWorkshoporkshop

for Engineering & Public Works

May 19, 2006

9:00 AM - 3:30 PMWestchester County Center

Westchester County GIS continues itsseries of skill learning presentationsfocusing on the integration of GIS, CAD,and GPS. This year's workshop will offera three-hour course entitled “GeographicInformation Systems, Engineering andCAD” which has been approved for three(3) Professional Development Hour(PDH) credits through the PracticingInstitute of Engineering (PIE). Cost forthe PDH course is $25/person.Registration and agenda information isavailable on the county GIS website athttp://giswww.westchestergov.com.

The Office of Emergency Management produces many maps for emergency response plans. The abili-ty to analyze, view and print features such as flood and hurricane inundation zones and reference to thesurrounding community has proved to be very useful.

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWHITE PLAINS, NY

PERMIT NO. 261

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