SCADC has experienced continued success over the past 15 years in its GIS and mapping capabilities. SCADC began to develop a basic GIS system to supplement and aid its planning and economic development department and to meet the growing demands of its local governments. SCADC has significantly increased awareness of GIS and has successfully educated many local officials and their staffs on the benefits of computer-aided mapping. Numerous GIS and planning projects over the years have developed the agency’s extensive database. SCADC’s GIS data includes tax parcels, roads, utility lines, soils, census data, topography, and community facilities. The data sets or (layers) are combined to create maps depicting community resources and areas of deficiency. GIS can readily make available information relating to water, wastewater, land use, municipal boundaries, railroads, bridges, utility lines, roadways, school districts, voting precincts, industrial sites, telecommunications, and other information that assist local governments in making informed decisions.
GIS continues to play a large and ever increasing role for SCADC and has lead to its participation in several statewide initiatives. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) recently established a GIS Initiative. ADECA partnered with the 12 regional planning commissions to create a statewide GIS database of municipal water systems. Interactive digital maps of the water infrastructure are important for community and economic development, emergency planning, and resource management. SCADC is working with its counties and municipalities to secure funds and develop digital databases, which adhere to the standard set forth by ADECA. To date, Macon County mapping has been completed and the City of Tuskegee, Bullock County, Lowndes County, and Fort Deposit are currently underway. SCADC will continue this effort until all public water infrastructure in the region has been digitized and formatted to complete this statewide project.