InterDev, an Atlanta-area provider of information technology, security, and geographic information systems (GIS) recently launched a new technology incubator, Location Intelligence Labs (LIL). Founded as a discipline within InterDev’s GIS department, the lab is a place where the GIS team can help push new technology.
Currently, InterDev’s GIS team provides support for nine cities throughout the southeast. Location Intelligence Labs will serve as a technology incubator of innovative ideas, incorporating the best ideas from each community and applying it to other locations. “Much like a university innovation lab, the Lab is where InterDev’s GIS employees bring their brightest ideas”, said InterDev’s CEO, Gary Nichols. “Many of the Location Intelligence Labs projects were inspired by our GIS teams innovative work on public sector projects, which are then nurtured, shaped, and matured within the lab.”
In 2016 InterDev developed startup IT and GIS services at the new city of Tucker, and since then they have helped the city develop numerous geospatial services, including a GIS solution powered by MosaicGIS. The drone program is the latest geospatial advancement that InterDev has developed for the city. City employees use the drone for building inspections, code enforcement, public safety and community relations. Building inspectors can send the drone above rooftops and check for compliance without ever having to climb onto the roofs themselves, increasing efficiency while helping to prevent injuries.
InterDev’s drone program is also used to create 3D models of city parks and other main attraction sites. For example, the Tucker Outdoors organization uses the application to help outdoor enthusiasts obtain information about recreation activities and site layouts. Users simply search for an address or activity on the website and can then explore 2D images and 3D models of community parks and nature preserves, complete with trees, trails, basketball courts, playgrounds, and more.
“Congratulations and thanks to InterDev and Team Tucker,” said Frank Auman, Mayor of Tucker, shortly after the launch. “Thanks to their efforts, we are outpacing many well-established cities on the technology front, and our advanced GIS capabilities give our planning and development efforts a huge leg up.”
In the wake of Tucker’s drone program officially getting off the ground in late 2018, Location Intelligence Labs will be working to develop a set of portable drone-based solutions for other municipalities and commercial clients. Potential applications include public safety, emergency response, LIDAR-based analysis, community development planning, and public event imagery.
InterDev has donated drones to five communities to kickstart the program. In addition to uses in GIS and community planning, it is hoped the drones will be used by police, firefighters, SWAT teams, or for any emergency scenario to help protect life.
In addition to the drone program, Location Intelligence Labs’ current service offering consists of the following:
MosaicGIS
InterDev’s cloud-based GIS platform that enables both government and commercial entities to get up and running quickly with GIS, without the expense and complexity of building and maintaining an enterprise GIS environment.
Open MosaicGIS
A new service offering that runs parallel to the existing MosaicGIS platform. It is comprised solely of open source technologies such as GeoServer, QGIS, and PostGIS. Open MosaicGIS is ideal for a small city that cannot afford MosaicGIS and does not have the internal knowledge or time to stand up its environment.
Zoning Information Look-Up
The Lab team is developing an application that will ease the process of looking up zoning-related property information for both internal staff and the public. The information provided will include the property’s zoning, future land use, and both permitted and conditional uses.
About the City of Tucker
Located in DeKalb County, Georgia, within the greater Atlanta MSA, Tucker was settled in the 1820s and later developed as a railroad community in 1892. Although long a thriving residential area with a recognizable “downtown,” Tucker was not incorporated into a City until 2015 when 74 percent of voters approved incorporating Tucker. 2017 population was 36,130. For more information, visit http://www.tuckerga.gov.
About InterDev
Beyond their principal role as a strategic provider of Managed IT and Security Services, InterDev is well known as a champion of IT visioning and innovation for growing municipalities and businesses – a role they perfected over nearly four decades. In addition to managing and hosting IT operations for its valued clients, InterDev also offers MosaicGIS™, a cloud-based, software-as-a-service GIS platform based on Esri, as well as VoIP telecommunications services. InterDev delivers services throughout the Southeast and Midwest from their offices in Atlanta, Beaufort (SC) and Chicago. For more information, visit http://www.interdev.com.
