Press Release

Chester-le-Street District Council moves to Cadcorp SIS for its Web-based and desktop GIS needs.

New software will provide citizens and council staff with on-line access to council services and information.

Digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software developer Cadcorp has announced that Chester-le-Street District Council has made the decision to replace its existing GIS with a new system using the Cadcorp SIS – Spatial Information System - software suite.

Following a recently signed contract, Cadcorp will deliver and assist the council in the implementation of licences of Cadcorp SIS Map Modeller and Map Editor desktop GIS software, along with Cadcorp GeognoSIS.NET for Web-based GIS applications.

Although Chester-le-Street District Council already has a GIS capability, its use had been restricted to a small number of internal specialists. The council was therefore looking for a cost-effective corporate GIS that would be accessible by all council staff and council members via the council’s internal intranet. It also wanted to give citizens access to maps and related service information via the council’s Web site.

“We selected the Cadcorp SIS desktop and Web-based software suite for a number of reasons”, said Graeme Clark, ICT manager, Chester-le-Street District Council. “For example”, he stated, “a major requirement by the authority was to be able to use existing datasets within any new system. The number of native GIS, CAD, graphics and database formats that can be accessed on-the-fly by Cadcorp SIS, without translation, met our needs precisely here. In addition, the system’s ability to access GIS data from the major database systems and to support multi-user access to it, without the need for expensive middleware made a compelling case. We were also impressed with the network analysis and 3D functionality that is available in the core product.”

The main users of the new Cadcorp SIS-based GIS within the council will be the planning, environmental health, housing, regeneration and environmental services departments. Each department will have access via the corporate intranet to its own data stored and managed centrally within the corporate GIS database. In the first instance, the GIS will be integrated with Chester-le-Street’s new environmental services system, Flare, in order to improve service levels in areas where there are repeated service requests in respect of anti-social actions, for example fly-tipping.

As well as helping Chester-le-Street District Council meet e-Government targets and National Priority Outcomes, the new GIS will make it easier for citizens to find information relating to their own area or property and will extend access to council services beyond the normal working day. It will also enable data, often in the form of CAD files, from the council’s architecture and engineering departments and from external consultants to be integrated with spatial data within the GIS; something that was previously either difficult or impossible.

“We are delighted that Chester-le-Street District Council has made the decision to base its new corporate, Web-based GIS on Cadcorp SIS,” said Mike O’Neil, managing director, Cadcorp. “We look forward to working with the council to help it meet its aim of improving its customer service levels.”

About Chester-le-Street

Chester-le-Street is the business, residential and shopping centre of one of the smallest English districts. Situated in the northern part of County Durham, between Durham City and Gateshead in Tyne and Wear, the district has a population of 57,000. The area has many attractions ranging from beautiful countryside to a rich heritage.

The town has served many functions: an encampment of the ancient British Epican tribe; site of Conganium, a Roman fort and for over 150 years, the resting place of St Cuthbert's body before its transfer to Durham, a place of greater safety from Viking invaders.

The area's social and industrial past is celebrated in the internationally-known Beamish Open Air Museum, which features a colliery, restored pit cottages, a school, farms, a town, bank and pub as well as trams and a steam railway. On the banks of the River Wear lies the Riverside development, home to the first class Durham County Cricket Ground. Completed in 1995 and with a test match-standard ground it has already hosted international matches.

About Cadcorp

Established in 1991, Cadcorp is a leading UK developer of digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software. With offices in the UK, USA and Australia, Cadcorp's distribution and VAR network stretches worldwide. The company also plays a pivotal technical role in the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.TM (OGC TM).

The Cadcorp SIS - Spatial Information System product range is fully integrated digital mapping and GIS software that uses OGC certified compliant interfaces. Cadcorp technical director Martin Daly is an OGC Gardels Medal holder for his contribution to the OGC. Cadcorp is an ISO9001:2000 certified company, an Ordnance Survey Licenced Partner and holds a UK government Catalist S-CAT agreement for category 15, GIS Software.

Cadcorp SIS applications exist in local government, central government, emergency services, insurance, oil & natural gas, mapping and surveying, commerce, utilities and many other markets.

ENDS

Editors: For further information contact: Richard Rollins, Tel: +44 (0)1438 747996, e-mail: richard.rollins@cadcorp.com or Neil McLeod, Tel: +44 (0)1666 504293, e-mail: neilmcleod@btopenworld.com.

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