Council Updated On Virtual Community Services Map

It may be more than a few months away but plans are well underway to create an on-line virtual map of all services, recreational opportunities and yet to be defined opportunities available in Moose Jaw.

At their most recent meeting Council was given an update on the progress in developing a Moose Jaw Community Services Map. A Moose Jaw Community Services Map would be a visual online tool listing Moose Jaw’s services, organized by category.in a current and user friendly format.

The focus of the map would be on free and accessible services available to the public.

The map would collaborate with 211 Sask - 211 Sask is a database of over 6,000 community, social, non-clinical health, and government services across the province.

Introducing the presentation, city manager Jim Puffalt, said it was an informational presentation to keep Council “aware of partnerships we have established throughout the city with regards to the digital mapping project.”

“There is quite an extensive partnership related to this and we do believe it will have significant benefit to the City of Moose Jaw in terms of awareness, fulltime information and some of our web-site enhancements,” Scott Osmachenko, recreation services manager told Council.

Projected benefits the Community Services Map will have for the City - source report to Council

Osmanchenko said the committee had met three times planning the Moose Jaw Community Services Map.

“We are working on terms of reference now identifying what the categories will be. We are strongly working towards synergy (on this) and enhance it to more of a Moose Jaw feel and what may be included,” he said.

Despite the feel that the project was a long way off from realization Osnanchenko said the goal was to have the project finalized within a year and up and running on the City’s web-site.

“It is a real service to the community in a virtual format, in real time.”

Acting Mayor Councillor Heather Eby asked about the time commitment the City was putting into the project given a two hour a month commitment for a City IT staff member was tied to the project.

“That is probably the commitment right now. Once we get to building the virtual map and what he (the IT staffer) calls the dat dump he might be more involved in getting that set up. Once the actual map is created it is going to be a lot of effort for the data stewards just to maintain it accuracy and update it on an annual basis and review it monthly,” Osmanchenko replied.

What the Committee is requesting from the City of Moose Jaw - source report to Council

Councillor Doug Blanc praised the effort.

“Going through the report I thought it was going to be excellent. I think it is going to be a great benefit to the City when it was completed,” Councillor Blanc said.

The informational report was received and filed unanimously 6 - 0 with Mayor Fraser Tolmie absent.