The Village of Deerfield Public Works Department met with the GIS Department to discuss a very important phase of utility updating involving field verification. It was decided that a new Field Note Map Book series would be developed based on a custom grid to fit a usable 11 by 17 inch format vs. the customary 17 by 22 inch standard Field Note Map Book Series. It was decided by staff that the larger sized books were tougher to handle while out in field conducting when conducting their business.

The Village of Deerfield has began a using an Engineering Firm to survey and smoke test the sewer storm system within the village. This program involves using provided GIS data to be used in the field by the Engineering Firm and village staff to conduct the smoke testing program. Smoke testing involves using special equipment to help find defects and issues within the sewer storm system. As smoke is passes through the system equipment is used to detect any leaks within the system. Defects are then recorded and mapped using GPS technology. The process also included verifying mapping information and GPS was then used to update, add, or remove sewer storm system infrastructure.

Public Safety plays a crucial role in the day to day activities of Village of Deerfield, IL. The Village of Deerfield Police Department believes that their daily activities help support a safe and vibrant community. A crucial operational aspect of the Police Department is conducted 24 hours, 7 days a week, all year long is Dispatch. The Dispatch Department and the highly trained officers are responsible for receiving and dispatching appropriate resources for all emergency and non emergency activities in the Village. The major focus of their operation is to respond to all calls placed to 911, dispatch resources, and relay information to officers in the field. Mapping is a major factor in this operation from locating the call in dispatch and to reporting location information to the officers in the field. Without highly accurate, detailed, and up to date mapping data would create a major challenge in the emergency response cycle.

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department routinely utilizes its valuable resources to analyze the layout of its current utility infrastructures. By using the aerial photography that the village paid for in 2005, the GIS Specialist is able to review utility lines and structures in their current location and compare them to where they are located on the aerial photography. Since the utility infrastructure data was originally created at a time when good aerial photography was hard to come by, many of this data is not one hundred percent accurate.

The Village of Deerfield, IL relies on accurate utility information to assist the community staff with their daily activities just like any other local government does. The Village of Deerfield Public Works Engineering Department is working with the RJN Group to conduct a Sanitary Sewer Smoke Testing program throughout the village. This program is being used it to help identify and maintain the condition of the sanitary sewers within the village. The idea of taking this data and integrating it with the GIS utility databases was an easy decision for the village since it would improve data efficiency and allow for better accuracy.

The Village of Deerfield, IL relies on accurate utility information in order to assist the community staff with their daily activities. For example, the Engineering Department utilizes storm sewer information to assess and resolve drainage issues as well as general pipe replacement. The Public Works Department needs accurate utility information to identify water main size, type and location to respond to water main breaks. This information has been stored in multiple locations including engineering plans, record drawings, as-built drawings, departmental files, and in the minds of seasoned staff members. The ultimate goal is to organize all this information in one centralized location that can be easily accessed by village staff for aiding in their daily workflows.

The Village of Deerfield, IL is currently in the process of planning for the redevelopment of the northwest quadrant of the Central Business District, commonly known as the “Village Green Redevelopment Project.” This project currently involves multiple village departments and is the planning phase. During this planning phase the GIS Department was requested to run a pilot test program using existing resources create a 3-D representation of the redevelopment area. Until recently this task would have required a significant amount of work to complete usually requiring outside vendors whose fees would only increase the overall budget on the project. However, with the advancement of technology and the available tools within GIS it was easy to use existing geographic information in order to keep this request in-house and save the village some money.

Each year the Village of Deerfield, IL creates an official Street Guide of the village. This product is developed and consumed by both village staff and the general pubic. Each year the GIS Department and other village departments go through a two month review and update cycle of this product. During the 2009 review and update cycle it was determined that the village would move this historically black and white product into a color format. In addition to the color format it was also decided that a black and white version of the map would still be maintained for map reproduction using outside sources.