Along with any new technology comes misconceptions, unrealistic expectations, misinformation, and misunderstanding. Below is a list of Myths and Facts about GIS technology and the GIS Department:

Myth:  There has been several references to the GIS System as not "useable", or not widely used.

  Fact: GIS began to be used with the creation of the GIS Department in April 2001. The GIS Department implemented a high speed network to disperse GIS information to departments in need of such information. Currently, there are over 27 departments either fully or partially connected to the GIS System.

Here are a few examples of how GIS is being used throughout the city/county:

• Creation and maintenance of required mapping layers for the new 911 system.
• The Reassessment Process.
• Determining the new Flood Plain Boundary within the County.
• Maintenance  of Water and Sewer information.
• Assists the Redevelopment and Sub-Review processes.

Myth: That GIS is just a "Map" or "Mapping Software"

Fact: For simplicity's sake we often call GIS "mapping software."  GIS has many benefits. One of the main benefits of GIS is improved management of your organization and resources. A GIS can link data sets together by common locational data, such as addresses, which helps departments and agencies share their data. By creating a shared database, one department can benefit from the work of another—data can be collected once and used many times.

The old adage "better information leads to better decisions" is true for GIS. A GIS is not just an automated decision making system but a tool to query, analyze, and map data in support of the decision making process. If a database has a spatial component, it can be displayed and analyzed within a GIS system.