Cook County
Urban GIS…
Has been working with Cook County since it’s inception in 2007
Has worked with multiple agencies in Cook County
Is pre-qualified to provide GIS services for Cook County
We’ve had the honor of assisting the Cook County Government with a number of mapping-related projects over the years, including the Cook County Ground Imagery Maintenance Project, the Cook County Municipal Boundary Change Project, and the Cook County Highway Asset Program, Hard-to-count Boundary Mapping, to name a few. As illustrated in the projects below, we have broad expertise in all matters related to maps, demographic analytics, and location-based database creation and management.
In addition to our MBE certification, and our Silver Partner relationship with the County’s GIS Software vendor, Esri, we are currently the only pre-qualified vendor in the county’s target market for GIS Services. For these reasons, in concert with our long-standing relationship with Cook County, we are uniquely qualified to be the subconsultant on the upcoming redistricting project for the county.
Our previous mapping work with the County and related Census data analytical experience would be a great fit for the County’s current legislative redistricting effort. We can provide accurate district maps, and we can combine that with the relevant demographic data to assist in the redistricting decision-making process.
In addition to our mapping expertise, and specific knowledge of Cook County’s demographic data universe, we can develop user-friendly applications, to allow the authorized stakeholders to have quick and easy access to this data. This will facilitate informed decision-making and ensure legislators have access to the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Accurate and detailed mapping can also be incorporated into online tools designed for the County’s 5.2 million residents. An online hub of Cook County maps and related data will allow residents to engage with the county on various initiatives, including redistricting and beyond.
“Be Counted 2020” Campaign – Census 2020
Hard-to-Count Boundary Mapping
In preparation for the 2020 Census, Urban GIS, Inc. was asked to assist the Cook County Complete Count Census Commission with mapping certain areas that are identified as hard-to-count. This effort supported the “Be Counted 2020” campaign throughout Cook County and the United States. The campaign was launched to inform the public about the importance of the Census and define strategies for reaching hard-to-count communities.
Cook County Municipal Boundary Change
The Cook County Recorder of Deeds documents all real estate transactions that occur in the County and all resulting municipal boundary changes. As part of a larger team tasked with creating a definitive spatial database of these boundaries, Urban GIS digitized paper records – maps and legal descriptions – of all boundary changes since the founding of Cook County. Urban GIS worked alongside Recorder of Deeds staff to locate, document, and organize legacy boundary change records. This step was critical in preparing the necessary data to be converted into GIS format. Urban GIS also performed quality assurance of the boundary geodatabase as it was being built.
GIS Assessment & Integration
Urban GIS and SDI Enterprises were tasked by the Cook County Recorder of Deeds (CCRD) to improve and expand upon the use of GIS technology, and align the CCRD’s IT strategy with the adjacent Cook County administration. The team performed an in-depth analysis of all current business practices involving GIS technologies and also determined where GIS can be integrated into additional business processes to improve analytical review, strategic planning, data validation, data reporting, and data visualization.
Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA)
In 2018, Cook County embarked on a project to build a database containing township residential addresses in preparation for the 2020 Census.
The main goal of this task was to compare geospatial reference data to a specified list of Cook County residential addresses provided by the Bureau of the Census and update it accordingly. Our team actively contributed to workflow design, data editing and quality management. To ensure the accuracy and completion of address values (eg. street name, building number, unit identifiers, Census Tract and Block, city, state, zip, etc.), we adhered to a strict evaluation and validation strategy.
Cook County Highway Asset Program
Urban GIS played an integral part in the implementation of a GIS based County-wide highway asset management program. This program provides the Department with a tool for asset management, allowing CCHAP to maintain a pavement inventory for staff to determine which roads need repairs and the types of repairs needed. The program also tracks signs, lights, and other field assets.
Cook County Ground Imagery Maintenance Project
Urban GIS was part of a team responsible for collecting 360 degree imagery of more than 200,000 parcels throughout Cook County. Vehicles equipped with GPS, high resolution cameras and various data collection equipment were used to create images, location points and attributes for Cook County parcels.
The Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (CCDTH) required updated pavement condition information for each highway system within their jurisdiction. Working with Dynatest North America (DNA), we provided a pavement condition review of all major Cook County roads and highways. Our team created an up-to-date street file with key attribution used to perform comprehensive pavement analysis for CCDTH.
