Bill Would Mean More Work In Mapping Fields

A bill working its way through Congress may provide more work for surveyors, cartographers and GIS professionals. The Safe Communities Act of 2005 (H.R. 3524), among other things, sets forth federal funding to states and local governments for:

1. Developing a comprehensive land use plan and integrating natural hazard mitigation and security plan elements into state and local comprehensive plans;
   
2. Assessing, inventorying, or mapping critical public infrastructure;
   
3. Developing geographical information systems;
   
4. Acquiring scenario planning, or risk assessment technology;
   
5. Reviewing building codes, zoning, land use regulations, and related state legislation;
   
6. Implementing crime prevention through environmental design initiatives;
   
7. Assessing land use risk;
   
8. Incorporating mitigation and security elements in transportation plans, facilities, and operations;
   
9. Encouraging interagency cooperation; particularly between first-responders and state and local planning agencies; and
   
10. Identifying natural hazard areas and integrating them into comprehensive plan updates.

This information was part of the Government Affairs Update of the American Congress on Surveying & Mapping.