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Province to showcase upgraded online mapping tool in Whistler

New technology gives better and faster access to government data
imapbc_screenshot_3
MAP DATA:The upgraded mapping application will provide improved access to thousands of geographical datasets. Photo submitted

The province will showcase its upgraded iMapBC 2.0 online mapping toolkit this week at the Municipal Information Systems Association (MISA)

Conference in Whistler.

The mapping application will provide improved access to thousands of geographical datasets.

"This new technology will help people find the information and mapping data they need faster and more conveniently," said Minister of Innovation, Technology and Citizens' Services Andrew Wilkinson in a release.

"Easier access to data means less time searching for information, and more time spent developing projects that will build a stronger economy and create new jobs for British Columbians."

Version 2.0 of the application is a significant upgrade to the free, user-friendly web-mapping application, providing better experiences for developers and end-users that want to use to government map data online.

It is faster and compatible with a wider range of web browsers. It incorporates new features to more easily display and understand map data through interactive links. The upgrade also is designed to handle the growing amount of information DataBC continues to add regularly as part of its operations.

iMapBC 2.0 provides tools for a wide range of users including municipal, provincial and federal governments, First Nations groups and companies working in the natural resource and forestry sectors.

For example, iMapBC 2.0's tools can be used to view and analyze government's wide variety of geographic data - useful to prospectors in the mining and oil and gas industries, as the data includes up to date information on land use tenures.

Aboriginal communities, including the Maa-nulth First Nations on Vancouver Island, use iMapBC to stay informed about hunting and fishing activity in their traditional territories. When they receive referrals from forestry companies about new logging plans, iMapBC is used to view and assess the planned timber harvest areas along with the location of previously logged areas.

British Columbia became the first province in the country to create a site like DataBC, a catalogue of government-held datasets that are free, searchable and available for anyone to use. Currently, more than 3,000 datasets are available to the public.