NEW CITY – The Rockland County Planning Department’s Geographic Information System team has implemented new technology that will allow the public to access GIS information and computer–generated mapping for all of Rockland County. The new Internet tool, called the GIS Portal, is now accessible through the county website at www.rocklandgov.com.

GIS is a resource used in many diverse areas, including environmental management, planning, economic development and site selection, real property information records, transportation and infrastructure, homeland security and public safety, health and human services and business assistance. The portal will provide the public with “one-stop shopping” for GIS resources via a convenient, accessible Internet location without having to make a trip to County offices or requesting information by phone.

“Rockland County has made a commitment to provide an effective, user-friendly way for citizens, businesses and local governments to access valuable GIS-related resources,” said County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef. “The launch of this Portal meets that commitment by providing a “gateway” to these resources, while making county operations more efficient as well.” 

The GIS Portal will enable the county to more proactively meet constituent demand by improving the accessibility of county data. Built on the Sewall GeoPower™ platform, an ESRI-based application server, the GIS Portal provides commonly requested geographic information via the web. Using a standard browser and a URL, users can access the GIS Portal to make use of interactive map applications, view and download maps, and download digital data upon request.

The GIS Portal also offers users an opportunity to customize their own map. The applications currently available online include the District Mapping Application and the Base Mapping Application. By typing in an address in the District Application, a user can determine the town, village, school, election, legislative, assembly, congressional, senate or census district in which they are located. Via the interactive map, users can then zoom to their address.