Municipal Planning and Zoning
Using GIS In Your Job
WTH provides a comprehensive program of GIS services for a Municipal Planning Department.
Some benefits of using GIS in your Work:
- Save money and make more informed decisions.
- Work more efficiently
- Develop a comprehensive set of digital planning layers for your community.
- Have the ability to preserve, share, and pass on your knowledge to others
- Better communicate planning issues and projects with your staff, elected officials, attorneys, engineering firms, contractors, and the general public.
Convert your paper maps and what’s stored in your head into a more permanent digital record.
WTH has over 20 years of experience in working with County Planning Departments to convert their existing paper plans into digital GIS layers.
Collect accurate asset locations in the field.
WTH’s Think GIS software interfaces with Trimble GNSS products for accurate and precise asset location in the field. Collected points can entered directly into your GIS map.
Integrate local planning layers with available State and County aerial photos and GIS layers.
WTH builds maps for Planning Departments that include the most accurate and current available County and State aerial photography, LiDAR elevation data, water and floodplain maps, parcel maps, and other useful GIS layers.
Use GIS to develop a complete library of planning documents.
Use GIS to integrate zoning and comprehensive plan layers with other GIS layers such as flood plains, soils, parcel, road, and address information. Use GIS to design TIF, Main Street, Historic District, and Business District layers.
GIS Products and Services
WTH has developed a full line of GIS products that can be used by Planning Department staff in the office or in the field, on desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Some of our products can provide mapping services with an Internet connection, and others can work offline where an Internet connection is weak or unavailable.
WTH GIS products that are used by a planning department include the following:
Think GIS Editor – Think GIS Editor provides the ability to create data layers and information fields for the development of zoning maps, comprehensive plans, sustainability plans, special business districts, and municipal boundaries and annexation. The software includes tools for measuring elevation using available lidar information and includes a basic work order tool. Think GIS Editor can be used in the office and in the field, works offline and online, and can interface with Trimble GNSS receivers for accurate field asset location.
Think GIS User – Think GIS User is for laptop viewing and works offline where Internet connections are weak.
ThinkGIS.com – ThinkGIS.com is a Cloud based version of Think GIS that allows for viewing the location and attributes of GIS information on any computer device that has an Internet connection including tablets and smart phones.
Think Library – Think Library can store plans, legal documents, photos, and videos as georeferenced files in an online database that can be accessed in the office or in the field. With Think Library, records can be shared by user access or by emailing specific records to owners, contractors, attorneys, government officials or other parties that need specific records.