Geographic Information System innovation transforms environmental health at Wear Valley Council

Jenny Robins (29 May 2008  10:30)

Source: Public Technology.Net

Environmental Health services are improving at Wear Valley District Council with the help of GGP Systems.

Newly developed synchronisation software automatically integrates Environmental Health worksheets with a Geographic Information System (GIS) from GGP.

This GIS application allows residents and staff of the County Durham based district to browse up to date, accurate Environmental Health service information using the web. The use of the 'GGP Sync' software has also helped the council highlight and target hot spots that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

Using M3 PP software from Northgate Systems (formerly MVM) the Environmental Health team create a worksheet for each reported incident including pollution, food, pest control, licensing and health and safety. The GGP sync tool automatically plots the incident along with textural worksheet information, which is refreshed each time the worksheet is updated or amended.

"The integration of Environmental Health service records with GIS systems helps transform local government services under the governments national IT e-government program," said Mike Nichols, IT Database Administrator. He continued, "GIS spatial analysis is a good key to providing good intelligence and I am delighted with the level of granular detail, in respect to the number of GIS overlays the GGP sync tool can manage."

Wear Valley District Council is one of the seven local councils that form the county of Durham. The district extends from the centre of the county to its western boundary spanning over thirty miles of diverse landscape, including the Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the market towns of Bishop Auckland and Crook. The council provides a range of functions concerned with protecting public health and safety or protecting and improving the environment of the Wear Valley district.

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