GIS and Mapping

� Return to IT home page

� What is GIS?

� Who uses GIS?

� The LOGIC System?

� A very brief history

� View maps

� Download maps/data

� Meet our Staff

What is GIS and what is it good for?

GIS stands for geographic information system. "So, what is a geographic information system," you may ask. In the simplest terms, a GIS is a way to show information about the City in a "picture" form. It has been said that 90% of a City's operations are land related, whether it is locating your home for a 911 call or planning an economic development project. GIS goes beyond the ability to simply look at a map. With a GIS you can click on a map and it will tell you such things as what street you've just clicked. Or, you might want to know where the nearest elementary school is located. You can also type in a park name and the map will "zoom" into the neighborhood and show it to you. The list of data in the City of Loveland's GIS is extensive and is largely accessible on the following web pages.

Who uses the maps and data on this site?

Are you:

a citizen? - use the maps on this site to find places or just learn about Loveland. Determine which city council ward you live in and who your council representative is.

a realtor? - locate properties throughout town or the surrounding area by address. Click on a parcel and find who owns it.

a surveyor or engineer? - download the AutoCAD drawings on this site for creating vicinity maps or doing preliminary work on a new project.

thinking of moving a business to Loveland? - access the wide variety of data and maps on this site to gather base information pertaining to making your decision.

What is the LOGIC System?

The original motivation in creating a GIS for the City of Loveland was to provide a means whereby large amounts of information required and handled in certain City functions could be stored and accessed with relative ease. A needs assessment in the mid-1980�s showed that the City could not afford a large, expensive system. As a result, in creating Loveland�s GIS the major underlying theme has been to create a system that is not overly expensive nor too complex in design, yet serves the needs of both computer aided drafting and GIS users.

The Loveland Geographic Information / Cartographic (LOGIC) System is managed by personnel in the GIS Division. For the past seven years, the system has operated on a �core-group, distributed-user� model. In other words, the GIS Division personnel create and maintain common data and computer programs used by other departments. Departmental users, who have specific expertise in their line of work, then use the system to assist them with their jobs.

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A Very Brief History

The City�s GIS efforts began in the late 1980�s. The system was originally designed to be an automated mapping / facility management (AM/FM) system for the utility departments. In English this means-- it was a system to track all of the manholes, pipes, transformers, etc� owned by the City. As time progressed and the GIS�s capabilities grew, the City expanded the GIS into other disciplines such as land records, planning and engineering. In 1993, a city-wide coordinator position was created in the Community Services Department to maintain common databases, support other GIS users and to develop custom computer programs for others. Since that time, most, if not all, City departments have made use of the system either with their own personnel or the services offered in the GIS Division. In 1998, the City of Loveland was recognized for its efforts in GIS development by receiving the Exemplary Systems in Government Award for the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association.

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View City Maps

Click here to view City of Loveland Maps

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