The objective of the Cedar Valley Trails 911 Signs Project (911 Signs) is the design and implementation of a comprehensive method to georeference trail locations for emergency response and asset management purposes. The Cedar Valley Trail System and the Cedar Valley Nature Trail encompass 95 miles of paved trail within Black Hawk County Iowa. This recreational trail system serves over 200,000 trail users annually. Using GIS software and local GIS data, a new map grid system was devised to communicate a location to within one-tenth of one square mile. This scheme of two numbers, one letter, and two numbers (e.g., 22 C 99) provides a short identification number that is meaningful on both computer and printed maps. A GPS trail survey was conducted by Iowa Northland Regional Council of Governments (November 2004) to collect locations, attributes, and photographs of benches, signs, and other trailside features. A new 911 sign, with "911" clearly visible, was designed and approved. The new 911 signs, with the specific ID number for location reference, are attached to the georeferenced trail features. The 911 sign location data is integrated into the Black Hawk Consolidated Public Safety Dispatch Center's system to enable dispatchers to "see" the location on the Dispatch Center's GIS computer map. Thus, the 911 Signs Project provides a practical solution to location communication in emergency situations and serves as an asset inventory of all features along this transportation corridor.
Abstract