Building Better Data-Mapping Tools.

AuthorMeilleur, Lee

With a recent award from the Cartographic and Information Society for best interactive map under its belt, Minnesota's Legislative Geographic Information System Office is ready for the challenge of redistricting after the 2020 census.

The office, which is part of the nonpartisan Legislative Coordinating Commission, has come a long way since it was created in 1989 to prepare the Legislature for the next round of redistricting. Instead of what was then a bare-bones webpage displaying district maps and reports, it now offers a range of user-friendly interactive maps and reports and bill analysis tools, all built with free, open-source software.

It would be several years before the GIS office created its first primitive interactive tool, however. It debuted as a map on the state's "Who Represents Me" page and required users to pan and zoom to a location, then click to find their representatives. Shortly after, a geocoding tool was added so constituents could enter an address to find their legislators. These were the first steps toward user-friendly interactive mapping.

By 2001 it was time to prepare for the next redistricting cycle and the office began publishing election maps. Adding interactive maps to the basic district maps and reports allowed users to explore proposed plans and customize maps by toggling on or off data layers such as cities and towns, counties, school districts, Minneapolis and St. Paul neighborhoods, and satellite imagery. After being overwhelmed by requests for spreadsheets containing county, ZIP code and school district information, the GIS office built an interactive "District Information" page that allows users to choose the legislative body and geography of interest by district, then sort and download the data in any way they wish.

In addition to its support for the redistricting process, the office has been asked to provide various bill analyses. One bill, for example, requires the Minnesota Pollution Control...

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