Vision Zero
Boston
Bostons Vision Zero story map allows residents not only to learn about vehiclecrashes and traffic safety hazards, but to report them as well. The map stems from the citys Vision Zero initiative, which was launched in 2015 with the goal of zero traffic deaths by 2030. The map was published a year later2016 to create greater resident awareness and engagement. (The international Vision Zerocampaign started in Sweden in 1997.) Users are offered up-to-date accident data and the ability to individually report safety concerns by street or neighborhood. Site visitors just have to click a spot on the map, fill out a short comment box and click submit. Within the first six months of launch, more than 11,000 citizen safety concerns were filed and plotted.
Burgh’s Eye View
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Imagine if all city service requests and records of crime records were contained in a single map. That is a reality in Pittsburgh after Mayor Bill Pedutolaunched Burghs Eye View, a public map showing exactly that. It allows residents to track 311 requests by category or by responding department, and these requests are set among arrests and non-traffic citations from Pittsburghs police blotter. The maps information even extends to building inspection data, which notes the status of permits, building violations and city facilities. Officials say the map has not only made city operations more transparent for residents, but its also allowed departments new visibility into other operations going on around the city.
CommuteATL
Atlanta
CommuteATL sprouted as a response to Atlantas Interstate 85 fire and bridge collapse in March. The catastrophe limited routes entering and exiting the city, construction crews caused delays and the end result amounted to constant congestion. In response, Atlanta Chief Information Officer Samir Saini led creation of CommuteATL through a traffic data partnership with Waze that combined real-timedata from city and state transit agencies and features from the mobile-phonetraffic app. The map provides residents real-time traffic flow data, locations for public transit, spots for bike rentals, Waze alerts and traffic cam footage of mayor freeways and thoroughfares.
PropertyPanel.LA
Los Angeles
Los Angeles owns a sizable share of real estate. Some of it is obvious, some of it isnt. For those parts that are less noticeable, the city Controller Ron Galperin developed PropertyPanel.LA, a map that gives the officials and residents a big picture view of city land ownership. The tool assists the city in identifying properties that are underused, neglected, or might be leased, soled or repurposed to help on critical issues like affordable housing. PropertyPanel.LA is the first comprehensive digital map the city has created to track its properties.
DataLB
Long Beach, California
It may be an open data portal, but DataLB also doubles as a hub for a interactive maps that help residents to makesense of city information. In January, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia debuted the site, whichcan take the citys bulkiest data sets and plot them onto easily digestible maps. Instead of a long list of city businesses, residents can see a map of locations and their statuses. There are also layers that identify city service locations, show parcel information, waterways, zoning, bikeways and even the locations of mosquito traps being used to combat the West Nile virus. When the city announced the portal, Garcia said the goal was to bring residents into the citys planning process.
The Opioid Epidemic
Esri
Michigan resident Mya Jenkins smiles at the beach. Arizonas Jessica Unger holds flowers next to a little girl. Indianas Bradley Baxter grins for a selfie. Each photograph is meant to memorialize opioid overdose victims that represent the thousands of tragic data points on Esris story map, The Opioid Epidemic. The map was launched in May to honor the lives of those lost amid a drug abuse crisisand to deliver data to health providers, social workers and law enforcement so it can be analyzed to create prevention strategies. Esri uses the map to narrate the impacts of the epidemic from the perspective of drug poisoning deaths, prescription-per-provider dataand voting records of public officials on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act a 2016 law that provides $181 million annually for opioid prevention and recovery efforts.
This story was featured in StateScoop Special Report: GIS (2017)
