“Knowing where things are and why is essential to rational decision making.”
– Jack Dangermond, President/Founder, Environmental System Research Institute (ESRI)

What is GIS?  Geographic Information Systems integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends and present that information in the form of maps, reports, and charts. A GIS helps us answer questions and solve problems by looking at our world in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared. GIS technology can be easily integrated into any enterprise information system.

How do we use GIS at the City of Ames?  The City of Ames views information as a critical strategic requirement for effective decision making and acknowledges that data integration is necessary for effective program and policy implementation. A significant proportion of data managed by City departments is tied to a geographic location, thus this data can be spatially referenced, analyzed, and viewed within a GIS. The City of Ames uses GIS to promote and facilitate data-driven decision making for daily operational needs and long term planning to benefit the citizens of Ames. Enterprise GIS at the City of Ames enables elected officials, City employees, public and private agencies, and our citizen customer to apply GIS technology to issues effecting our City.

To request a hard copy of an Ames map or GIS data contact a GIS staff member.

Lisa Mondt, GIS Coordinator
Dominic Roberge, GIS Specialist