Tazewell County 9-1-1 Receives GIS Data Upgrade

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Late last year, the Tazewell County ETSB contracted with Cloudpoint Geographics to provide GIS Data Cleanup and Configuration in preparation for NG9-1-1. The contract includes the following major components that will be configured and delivered through Esri’s ArcGIS platform including ArcGIS Online for communities to submit updates to road centerline and address data.

  • Data Assessment to review existing data and analyze errors

  • Integration of GIS updates with the Client’s CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system

  • Coordination with local agencies to incorporate local GIS data layers

  • Building structure points layer with classification

  • Spatial updates to road centerlines and address points

  • Correcting topological errors in boundary layers

  • Converting data format and spatial reference to State of Illinois’ NG9-1-1 Data Standards

  • Setup & integration of Enterprise GIS for data exchange with local agencies

  • Ongoing GIS data maintenance

The results of this project will assist Tazewell County 9-1-1 dispatchers and emergency responders by improving data accuracy and increasing efficiency in response times. Additionally it will provide increased communications between the county 9-1-1 and local addressing authorities. For more information regarding Cloudpoint’s NG9-1-1 GIS data services please contact us or visit our NG9-1-1 services page.

Team Member Spotlight: Matt Junker

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Matt and his talents further expand the services aspect of the Cloudpoint team. His previous professional exposure has given him a rare set of tools that allow diversity in our workforce. However, each previous employment opportunity has seemingly prepared Mr. Junker (pronounced: Yunker) to be a cohesive part of our team. Professionally, Matt has worked for public and private entities. His work includes cadastral data maintenance, creation and maintenance of GIS data for various county departments, development and maintenance of mapping applications, technical support for highway department sign inventory, and review of orthophotography proposals from vendors.

Matt plays a key role in providing managed GIS services for our clients and he plans to obtain his GISP certification in 2019 as he continues to take advantage of training and educational opportunities. Some of his favorite things to do in his spare time:

  • Travel the Midwest on family adventures

  • Play / watch sports (Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, Fighting Ilini)

  • Outdoor activities

  • Listening to live music

When asked about his most interesting fun fact Matt says, “I was born during a blizzard, and my parents made it to the hospital with the assistance of County and State snow plows.” Thank goodness for our public servants who work so hard to keep the roads cleared. To describe where his interest in GIS started, Matt recalls, “My interest in maps started when I received a pocket atlas at about age 7. I collected my own traffic data on Route 89 in Varna from the living room window later on. After early plans for Architecture or Engineering fizzled, I chose Geography and worked as a Cartographer for my first professional gig. The interest in GIS built from there.”

Matt resides in Metamora, IL with his wife, Amy, and three young children. Cloudpoint Geographics is blessed to have Matt as part of our team of professionals.

YouTube Channel Recognized in top 10 GIS

Not to sound braggadocios, but we are great at GIS. It is just a fact, it’s what we do. Jon likes to say “GIS is our first thought, not an afterthought”. Helping organizations is a part of our vision and our vision is etched in stone.

GIS Youtube Channels

We also create helpful content for our clients, or even people we will never meet. Making YouTube content has been a part of Cloudpoint’s DNA since the beginning when we bought our first GPS receiver. Our faithful follower-ship is completely organic and grassroots.

This dedication to good content has been recognized by a third-party and We are proud to let you know we are ranked SECOND! These Youtube Channels are ranked based on following criteria

  • Total youtube channels subscribers, video views, and video uploads

  • Quality and consistency of videos

  • Youtube search ranking

  • Feedspot editorial team’ objective and subjective review

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New Team Member: Mike Genard

We are very pleased to introduce to you Mike Genard, Cloudpoint’s newest team member and latest GIS technician.

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Mike discovered his passion for geography while in school and recognizes the power and potential of geospatial technology. Mike received his Bachelors of Science degree in Geography along with a minor in Environmental Studies this past spring from Illinois State University where he was able to demonstrate his geographic capabilities by being named the recipient of the Margaret Means Award and Scholarship, awarded annually to the student who displays academic excellence in the classroom. While he attended ISU, Mike was able to build a firm foundation in GIS cartography and remote sensing.

Over the course of the summer, Mike interned with the Peoria Park District, where he gained practical experience in mapping, environmental practices, and interacting with the public. He was hired on by the Park District as a research technician and utilized GIS to assess pollinator habitat across Central Illinois. As an aspiring GIS professional, Mike looks to expand his geographic knowledge and skillset and become certified in GIS. Outside of work, Mike enjoys outdoor recreation, spending time with friends and family and cheering on the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks.



You can see his official bio

along with the rest of our team over on our staff page


Duluth, MN and Door Co, WI: Fish boils, Aerial Lift Bridge, Jeans, and Smoked Salmon

So recently I made my first trip to Duluth, MN for the GIS/LIS conference which consisted of well over 500 people from across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and many other states throughout the country. Micah Williamson and I were able to make the trek Northward all the way from central Illinois. One of the highlights of the trip up was the stop at Micah’s sister’s house in Eau Claire, WI where our timing was perfect as she was making burritos and kind enough to share with us, Thanks Amy!

The three days in Duluth at the conference were very enjoyable as we were able to meet many new faces and give out some wonderful gift bags of specialty coffee beans from the Blue Heron Trading Co located in Duluth’s popular DeWitt Seitz Marketplace which is the same building that houses our northern partner company, ​North Point Geographic Solutions.

While there, we were able to sample the amazing smoked salmon at a local favoritet, Northen Waters Smokehaus. A little free time the first night allowed us to squeeze in visits to my new favorite stores, Duluth Trading Company, where I picked up a much-needed pair of jeans, as well as the Duluth Pack Store which I highly recommend if you are visiting the area. However all of the luster of the tasty food and outfitter stores were both topped by the magnificent Aerial Lift Bridge which is an absolutely spectacular site, especially when lit up at night.

My second trip was to Door County, WI for the Fall regional meeting for the Wisconsin Land Information Association which was highlighted by the fish boil at the social night held at Waterfront Mary’s. If you’ve never been to a fish boil this is also a must see traditional event where they boil the fish in a big black kettle and boil it for 30 minutes or so over an open fire with all the right mix-in’s added in. For other highlights of our latest ventures at Cloudpoint Geographics please subscribe to our newsletter at cloudpointgeo.com/newsletter.

Montgomery County secures Long Range Transportation Grant!

The Cloudpoint team was able to assist the Montgomery County Highway Department in securing grant funding for the upcoming 2019 fiscal year through the Statewide Planning & Research Program for Asset Management.  This program will consist of data collection and inventory work for infrastructure assets that will be incorporated into a system-wide GIS application using ArcGIS Online.  The new application will give the department the ability to easily track and manage infrastructure assets all in one centralized location and improve planning for future capital improvement projects through the use of web maps and operations dashboards.  For more information on how Cloudpoint can help you organize your asset management program please contact us at 877-377-8124.

Scott County receives GIS Data cleanup for NG9-1-1

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When Scott County, Iowa had a recent opportunity to secure grant funding to provide GIS data cleanup for NG9-1-1 they took full advantage and contract with Cloudpoint to compete this work.  The project had a very tight time frame being completed in less than 60 days.  This work involved cleanup of Emergency Service boundaries in the GIS, as well as repairing road centerline geometry, correcting road centerline address ranges, directional errors in digitize roadway directions, and reviewing site address data points that fell out of range with the centerlines.  Cloudpoint was able to complete this cleanup work using tools including curves-to-lines in ArcGIS Pro, creating topologies, and using the 'Align To Shape' tool for aligning emergency services boundaries with road centerlines and administrative or political boundaries where applicable.  Overall the project involved a over of 88,000 address points and more than 2,300 centerline miles.  Cloudpoint continues to provide high quality GIS data services for state and local governments throughout the Midwest.  For more information contact our office at 877-377-8124.

A screenshot of address points, road centerlines, and emergency services boundaries requiring review and data cleanup for improving emergency response and dispatch for NG9-1-1 services in Scott County, IA.

A screenshot of address points, road centerlines, and emergency services boundaries requiring review and data cleanup for improving emergency response and dispatch for NG9-1-1 services in Scott County, IA.

Customer Spotlight - Monte Johnson, City of Sullivan

Meet Monte Johnson, City Clerk and GIS Administrator for the City of Sullivan!

Meet Monte Johnson, City Clerk and GIS Administrator for the City of Sullivan!

Mr. Johnson has been with the City of Sullivan for 21 years filling in many different roles and wearing many different hats.  He graduated from Illinois State University in 1995 with a degree in Business Education, and has since earned an associate’s degree in Information Technology - Network Administration.  He currently severs as the City Clerk and GIS Administrator as well as other roles critical to municipal operations.  He began working for the City when he was in high school as a part time lifeguard and swim instructor. His full-time duties began in 1997 when he was hired as the Assistant Director at the Civic Center. He created the City's first website in 2002 and has been serving as the City's webmaster since.  He began building the City's GIS system in 2007 and has turned that into a City-wide system with remote access through web-based applications.  He began redesigning the City's digital document system in 2012, and it now has a public portal for the public to access documents, allows departments to remotely access documents, has workflows to automate business processes, and has an online forms portal for the automatic submission and handling of web-based forms. He was named the City's Freedom of Information Act Officer and Open Meetings Act Designee in 2013, and the ADA Coordinator in 2017.   Through training and education, he was conferred the title of Registered Municipal Clerk by the Municipal Clerks of Illinois.

The City of Sullivan owns Electric, Water, and Gas utilities and contracted with Cloudpoint beginning in 2014 to implement an enterprise GIS system by collecting GPS data, centralizing database records, and securing an Enterprise License Agreement from Esri which opened the door for providing location-based decision making for each department.  All departments now have iPads helping them access and update their information in the field in near real time.  They also have many web apps available for departments (and the public) to see all of our utility information as well as general public information (Zoning, TIF, etc).

As City Clerk, Mr. Johnson’s responsibilities include preparing agendas and minutes for Council meetings; keeping up with, informing the Council about, and enforcing new municipal laws; preparing and publishing legal notices; handling bidding requirements and documents; handling and coordinating annexations and zoning; tax location verifications; coordinating building inspection and permit reports; assisting the City Attorney with research and paperwork; assisting with and acting as a liaison with engineering firms; IT support for all City departments; administrative support for all City departments and the City Council, including research for health insurance renewals, lawsuits, collective bargaining negotiations, updates to the employee handbook, research for software and technology, updates to policies and procedures; handling of all licenses (liquor, raffle, A frame signs, carnival, golf cart, merchandise on public streets/sidewalks, outdoor dining, peddler's, rubbish, food vendors, waste disposal), and serving as the City's Open Meetings Act Designee. One of the greatest benefits Monte has recognized from the use of GIS is that city staff no longer has to look up paper documents and maps.  Everything is there at their fingertips in digital format.  Mr. Johnson has a gift for administration and technology and he looks forward to continuing to expand in the City’s use of GIS technology and helping them informed data-driven decision in the most efficient manner.  The Cloudpoint team is privileged to have the opportunity to work with him and the City of Sullivan.

Another trip to The Esri User Conference in San Diego

Cloudpoint's Erin Strickler was able to attend the Esri User Conference, the world's largest GIS conference, in San Diego for the first time this year.  This is the fifth time that the Cloudpoint team has been represented at the conference where over 17,000 people gather to hear the latest GIS news and enjoy thousands of hours of one-on-one networking, collaboration, and fun with fellow attendees.  Erin shares some of her highlights of attending this year's conference in this blog.

Village of Burr Ridge receives a GIS face lift!

Burr Ridge is home to over 500 businesses occupying more than 6 million square feet of floor area and employing 10,000 plus people.

Burr Ridge is home to over 500 businesses occupying more than 6 million square feet of floor area and employing 10,000 plus people.

The Village of Burr Ridge has contracted with Cloudpoint Geographics to provide complete managed GIS services.  Cloudpoint's professional staff will act as an extension to the Village's internal staff when it comes to GIS needs and communicating with its constituents.  Here are some resources that the Client will soon be able to take advantage thanks to this newly formed partnership.

ArcGIS Online

Address Buffer Tool

Street Light Collection

Village staff had the foresight to see that a centralized GIS can be a "single source of truth" for both internal and external users to access critical information to help drive decision making processes.  The Cloudpoint team will be working closely with the finance director, assistant administrator, public works officials, and IT staff to remotely connecting to the Village's network to perform GIS upgrades and rolling out new applications for the system as well as providing regular training for their staff.  For more information on how your agency can take advantage of our affordable GIS services you can contact us through our website or call 877-377-8124.