Matthew Mathan, GIS Bureau Chief for Union County says “We are the first government agency to incorporate Megan’s law database in our GIS for use by authorized County staff. Our Prosecutor’s office as well as all our departments and fifteen of our Towns are using our GIS website. Every Megan’s law related activity is coordinated through our GIS website and the tool they use is OnPoint from Orion.

Ease-of-use and ease-of-implementation were key criteria for Union County in taking this next step for its GIS program. The County's GIS staff had all of the necessary GIS data at its disposal, but it lacked the in-house technical capabilities for making it available to other departments or to the public through traditional technologies. Matthew Mathan, notes, "We had GIS data, but we could not serve all our departments because either they did not have the GIS background or could not afford to have a GIS technician per department." He says that they were looking for a tool that could facilitate customized web-based access to existing data without requiring programming expertise, and OnPoint delivered exactly what they needed”.

As with any new software implementation, Mathan encountered technical challenges during the implementation phase, but he lauds Orion's prompt and thorough responses, which helped to ensure a trouble-free launch of the portal. "I do not have words to explain how Orion has supported me," says Mathan. "In my opinion, I have received the best support. Timely call-back and expertise in every area of GIS is high on their list of specialties."

So far, other sectors of municipal government have shown great appreciation for the new GIS service. The legal and law enforcement offices in all fifteen towns in the County have begun using the portal to assist in their day-to-day operations. For law enforcement purposes, the County GIS staff included sensitive data in the dataset, allowing access only to authorized municipal staff to streamline notification processes between branches. Law enforcement staff also use the site to access imagery related to their investigation and crime scene maps.

Going forward, Mathan's staff will integrate the region's real estate database with the existing infrastructure, again without requiring any additional programming resources. OnPoint has provided Union County with a solid GIS platform for future development, and Mathan's staff fully intend to make the most of it.

About Orion Technology Inc.

Orion Technology Inc. is a technology consulting and technology services integration company, focused on helping organizations integrate spatial technology into all facets of their business. Since its inception in 1998, Orion has been dedicated to creating leading edge IT and GIS solutions. A relative newcomer to the market, Orion have achieved phenomenal success in securing and delivering projects for reputable clients worldwide—from small organizations to entire countries. To find out more about Orion and its products, visit www.orion-gis.com.

To visit Union County's web portal, visit http://ucgis.ucnj.org/gismaps/onpoint