GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM
A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer based method integrating hardware, software, and digital data for capturing, storing, analyzing, managing and displaying geographically referenced information.
The GIS Division of Bexar County Information Services was created in November 2005 to develop a Bexar County GIS enterprise to promote expertise within offices and departments needing GIS; to coordinate with City of San Antonio and other governmental entities for the purposes of developing standards for security, accuracy, maintenance, format of GIS data for Bexar County; to develop a Bexar County GIS technical infrastructure; and to provide support, expertise and training to offices and departments in Bexar County using GIS.
The Bexar County GIS Division (BC GIS) is a permanent member of the Strategic Geospatial Coordination Committee, a regional consortium of geospatial service providers in the region whose purpose is providing strategic direction in facilitating or addressing geospatial services and projects, coordinating technical standards, and administering fiscal resources. The other permanent member organizations are: Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG), Bexar Appraisal District (BCAD), Bexar Metro 9-1-1 (BM911), City of San Antonio (CoSA), Comal County/City of New Braunfels and San Antonio-Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization (SA-BC MPO).
BC GIS also partners with other entities in the region to share data, resources and best practices [e.g. San Antonio River Authority (SARA) and San Antonio Water System (SAWS)].
Sharing GIS assets among all government entities in Bexar County leverages the GIS "buying power" of all the organizations and improves decision making across the county.
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TODD ALVIS is the Geographic Information Systems Manager for Bexar County Information Services. Prior to joining Bexar County in 2006, Todd worked as a GIS Specialist and GIS Database Administrator for the City of Midland, Texas. Preceding his employment in Midland, Todd worked in GIS at the United States Department of Agriculture. Todd holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. He's also been a member of the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA), the American Association of Geographers (AAG) and the South Central ArcUSer Group (SCAUG).
Todd and his wife Rita are the active parents of their son Cody, a high school Junior. In Todd's spare time he enjoys landscaping their San Antonio home and is an avid sports fan. He and his family enjoy trivia, cooking and Geocaching. |
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J. ERIC LOMELI is the Senior GIS Analyst for Bexar County. Prior to joining Bexar County’s GIS Division in 2007, Eric worked as a GIS Specialist for the University of Texas at San Antonio’s (UTSA) Institute for Economic Development (IED). Preceding employment at UTSA, Eric worked as GIS Officer, GIS Co-instructor and GIS Research Assistant at various private companies and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Eric holds a Masters of Science in Geographic Information Systems from the University of Redlands and is an International Certified GIS Professional (GISP).
Eric is an active volunteer of the high-school student exchange program AFS (American Fied Service) local chapter, as well as a past participant (Italy 1992-1993). He is a member of the Consortium for Research on Mexico (PROFMEX), San Antonio's Christopher Columbus Italian Society (CCIS), the Alamo Area GIS User Group (AAGIS), and a Life Member of the History Honor Society - Phi Alpha Theta (UCLA Chapter). Eric has also been a member of the Social Science History Association (SSHA), Urban and Regional information Systems Association (URISA), Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA), American Association of Geographers (AAG) and South Central ArcUSer Group (SCAUG). |
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GIS PROJECTS
The GIS Division is directed to supporting Enterprise level projects that enable the GIS activities of all County offices and departments.
Current projects are aimed at improving or adding to the current infrastructure, automating data sharing processes and improving processes and methods. These projects include:
Regional GIS Network – this project will put infrastructure and processes in place to automate data sharing and updating from the GIS regional members and Bexar County. Participating regional members include Bexar County, CoSA, BM911, and SARA. This should improve the quality and timeliness of shared datasets which are currently shared and updated manually.
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GIS Service System Enhancement – this project will add infrastructure and processes to provide fail-over capability to improve GIS system reliability, increase network capacity to improve GIS resource availability, and create testing and evaluation environments for improved reliability of products and applications through improved testing in a non-production environment.
In-house Training – BC GIS will provide introductory level training for ArcGIS Basics and customized internet mapping applications, as well as interdepartmental access to multiple GIS-related technology workshops in video and PDF format. A series of Standing Operating Procedures are created to resolve specific needs to different departments/offices in the County.
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