Indianapolis Mapping and Geographic Infrastructure System, or IMAGIS, was a consortium that created an innovative shared information system to provide a digital map of Indianapolis infrastructure. In 1985, then mayor of Indianapolis, , appointed leaders from over two dozen public and private organizations to plan, develop, and implement a shared information system in response to the extensive residential and commercial development that was occurring in Indianapolis and .
The group that Hudnut gathered believed that a common shared system would result in better data, increased efficiency, improved public service, and cost savings. The consortium, therefore, was designed to share the cost of creating and maintaining a common digital map among members.
This arrangement allowed each consortium member to concentrate on mapping the specific infrastructure falling within its domain on top of the common base map. In particular, the system was to combine infrastructure data (sanitary sewers, storm drainage, streets, etc.) from city departments and private utility companies.
Utility Graphic Consultants, UGC, was selected in 1986 to help with project planning and implementation. By October 1987, eight entities of the original 27, signed an agreement to participate in the project by supplying funds and sharing information. At least 12 other organizations soon followed. The established an IMAGIS Board to direct the consortium.
This board chose Synercom Technologies, Inc., as the mapping software, and Mid States Engineering, Indianapolis, was contracted to convert paper and other data into GIS (geographic information systems) records. These included aerial photography, property lines, street edges, zoning, addresses, utility, and other data. The data conversion effort consumed about 200,000 labor hours over a two-year period finishing in July 1989.
The March 1987 edition of “Envirowatch,” a newsletter of the Indianapolis Center for Advanced Research, documented the success of the project. The noted that IMAGIS was “one of the largest and most comprehensive… most detailed and precise land maps ever made” while the called the system “perhaps the most sophisticated project of its kind.” These observations were echoed by the Architectural Engineering Council that stated that IMAGIS might have been “America’s most spectacular and intelligent infrastructure success story” of its day. The high level of coordination among the consortium members, especially among technical committee members, was a significant by-product of the project.
The IMAGIS consortium continued until late 2014 when funding from some partners was diverted to other projects. The city’s maintains the GIS maps derived from IMAGIS.
Help improve this entry
Contribute information, offer corrections, suggest images.
You can also recommend new entries related to this topic.
