Certified Work Ready Community
Certified Work Ready Community
Title 6
Title 6
Focus Projects
Greenway Transportation Publicly-Accessible Mobile Application
In 2015, WPCOG staff used GIS information to create a web-map application for Greenway Transportation which can be used by bus dispatchers and the public at-large to find the location, schedule and details for each stop. The application is customized to function on all Android and iOS (Apple) smartphones and tablets, as well as on the browsers of personal computers. Users of the application can find their location on their mobile device using GPS or an address search-box on a PC, and then determine the closest bus route and stop. Users may select any stop to see its individual schedule and to learn which route or routes visit there. The application can be accessed on mobile devices or on PC's by visiting www.mygreenway.org and clicking on the map in the center of the site.
Greenway Public Transportation - Creating a Publicly Available Web Application for Fixed-route Bus Services
Mapping Incidence of Chronic Diseases
in Burke County
In 2015, WPCOG staff worked with Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge-Morganton to map chronic diseases in Burke County. WPCOG Staff geocoded addresses of households where a least one family member has diabetes, COPD, asthma, hypertension or cancer. Once geocoded, the mapped disease data is converted to sub-county level coverages for privacy purposes. Theses spatial files are now being used to identify the concentrations of chronic disease incidence in Burke County. The partnership was created through a Healthy Places Burke County Asset mapping project funded by a grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation. The project is still ongoing.
Burke County Community Assets Mapping Project - Presentation
Alexander County Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
In 2014, WPCOG worked with Alexander County EMS to perform a site selection process for a new EMS station. WPCOG reviewed variables such as estimated response times at various locations throughout the County and determined how many County residents would be served by each, in conjunction with two existing EMS stations. The results of the study helped Alexander County to select the best site for the new station.
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Town of Valdese Cemetery Mapping
In 2006, WPCOG performed an thorough satellite and photographic inventory of the public cemetery managed by the Town of Valdese. Information about each grave was entered into a GIS, and an internet-accessible interface was created for the Town. In 2014, the field data was updated, and WPCOG staff created a web-application which allows the Town to view and edit secure cemetery data in real-time from either a PC or a mobile tablet or smartphone. The Town uses it to keep track of new grave locations and their financial status. WPCOG also created a publicly-accessible application which allows open access to the location of any desired grave, also on PC or mobile device.
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Rutherford College Water and Wastewater Mapping Project
In 2017, WPCOG staff completed a comprehensive field collection of water features for the Town of Rutherford College. The collected features were placed into a secure GIS and a custom application was built for easy on-line access from a phone, tablet or workstation. This gives City Hall and Public Works staff the ability to view and edit data in the office or in the field. Currently, WPCOG staff is conducting a comprehensive field collection of wastewater features for the town of Rutherford College. The collected features will then be placed into the town’s application as a sewer infrastructure layer.
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Regional Municipal Stormwater GIS Mapping
Currently scheduled to begin in 2021, WPCOG staff will be conducting a comprehensive field collection of stormwater features for a number of local municipalities in Burke, Catawba and Caldwell counties. The collected features are being updated and incorporated into a larger Regional Stormwater plan. Work on this project currently expected to be completed in 2025.
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Burke Quality of Life Explorer
In 2015, WPCOG staff worked with Carolinas HealthCare System Blue Ridge-Morganton to map chronic diseases in Burke County. WPCOG Staff geocoded addresses of households where a least one family member has diabetes, COPD, asthma, hypertension or cancer. Once geocoded, the mapped disease data is converted to sub-county level coverages for privacy purposes. Theses spatial files are now being used to identify the concentrations of chronic disease incidence in Burke County. The partnership was created through a Healthy Places Burke County Asset mapping project funded by a grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation. Since 2015, several dozen additional GIS layers have been added. The project is still ongoing. To view the explorer, click here.
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Catawba River Trail Mapping
In Summer 2020, staff worked with Burke County officials on the Catawba River Trail feasibility study to analyze parcels and potential trail connectivity in eastern Burke County. This study displayed on a map shows the most promising trail alignments, connecting the end of the Morganton Greenway to the proposed pedestrian infrastructure in Hickory. The trail will stay south of the river and utilize existing routes, utility easements, and other pedestrian paths to go through (or connect to) Connelly Springs, Drexel, Hildebran, Long View, Rhodhiss, and Valdese in eastern Burke County. WPCOG still maintains the Catawba River Trail system conceptual map that can be accessed with this link:
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Alexander County Emergency Medical Services Response Time Analysis - Presentation