For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2018
Monmouth County
Honored for
Special Achievement
in GIS
Geographic
Information System Provider Esri Honors
Monmouth County at
Annual User Conference
FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County recently received the
Special Achievement Graphic Information System Award from Esri, a global leader
in spatial analytics, at its annual Esri User’s Conference. The County was
selected from more than 300,000 eligible candidates for its innovative
application of mapping, data analytics, and thought leadership after the Office
of Emergency Management and the Division of Planning developed a story map for
the High Water Mark Initiative and the implementation of the “Know Your Zone”
campaign.
The “Know Your
Zone” public awareness campaign is designed to educate residents, visitors and
businesses as to which evacuation zone they live, work or visit. The program is
one of kind here in New Jersey and provides a simple process for people to
learn their evacuation zone. Simply visit www.mcsonj.org/knowyourzone, click on find your zone, insert your
address, and the map will show you which zone you are in. The website has had
more than 13,000 inquiries since it launched in September of 2016. In 2017, as
part of National Preparedness Month, the county initiated the installation of
70 signs in various locations within our coastal communities as another public
outreach measure.
“This is a great
accomplishment and I am extremely proud of the efforts that the Monmouth County
Office of Emergency Management team is doing to ensure public safety during
weather related events,” said Sheriff Shaun Golden, whose agency runs the
Office of Emergency Management. “There is no office more deserving of the
recognition and I commend all for their commitment in building resiliency
against the impacts of storms.”
The High Water Mark
Initiative was originally launched in June of 2016 and promotes flood risk
awareness. During the original launch, Monmouth County and 14 local and federal
partners placed 100 signs in prominent locations in various municipalities.
Since the original launch, the County and its partners have continued to expand
upon the outreach efforts with the High Water Mark Story Map being the most
recent. The story map guides viewers through various historical events that are
designed to raise public awareness about resiliency and risk mitigation efforts
that are taking place throughout Monmouth County. In addition to the County
Division of Planning and Emergency Management, the High Water Mark Initiative is supported by partners from the
Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute, New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium
and FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. To learn
more about it and to see the GIS story map go to the Division of
Planning section of the County’s website at www.visitmonmouth.com.
“The joint
partnerships that have been developed as part of this program is a clear
indication that educating the public about the risks of flooding is a whole
community responsibility and we are honored to be
recognized by Esri for our groundbreaking use of GIS Story Map technology,”
said Freeholder Deputy Director Lillian G. Burry. “The High Water Mark
Initiative story map would not have been possible without the efforts of the
Monmouth County Division of Planning, the Monmouth County Office of Emergency,
Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute (UCI) and the NJ Sea Grant
Consortium.”
“The success of this program is
further under scored by contributing to saving the residents of Monmouth County
over $1.8 million dollars in annual flood insurance premiums”, added Freeholder Burry.
As Monmouth County
recognizes the prestigious award now is also the time to also remind residents
that now is the time to make the appropriate plans, have a preparedness kit,
Know Your Zone, and complete an insurance check up to ensure
that you have the proper coverage for hurricanes and other storms
“The actions you
take today will help to insure that you and your family can re-cover
efficiently should we be impacted by a storm,” said Sheriff Golden.
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