In 1996, officers from Falkirk Council’s Development Services started working in partnership with Forth Valley GIS (geographic information system) on the development of Desktop GIS in the context of the Council’s planning function. Since that time, the resource created has led to improvements in the integration, development and use of geographically referenced data across the service and Falkirk Council as a whole.
Forth Valley GIS (FVGIS) is a joint unit part funded by Falkirk, Clackmannanshire and Stirling Councils with the responsibility for GIS service support to the three councils and other public sector bodies. It was established in 1996 with its services being offered at a corporate level.
Development Services is at the forefront of best practice in Planning GIS in Scotland. In our Scottish Executive Planning Audit (June 2001) it was observed that our GIS was ‘an excellent resource’. The Scottish Executive and Royal Town Planning Institute have also recently (February 2002) awarded the Council a Quality Award for the use of GIS in Development Plans.
The planning service at Falkirk Council has led the way, in partnership with FVGIS, on the development of a progressive GIS system, which is now being utilised to advantage across the Council. From the outset the work has been undertaken with a view to the potential for future corporate integration and the development of modern customer focused services.
Within planning, advantages have been in the provision of mapping, monitoring, search and retrieval systems and increased analytical capability. Importantly, closer working has resulted through the integration of IT systems and shared datasets. Corporately, the progress made has fostered collective working through broadening the Council’s information base and research capability. It has also brought forward the development of interactive customer focused applications, which will serve to further the aims of the modernisation of local government agenda.
More information about Forth Valley GIS available at the following link: http://www.forthvalleygis.co.uk/|