Southwest Louisiana Regional Planning Development Commission
Southwest Louisiana
Regional Planning Commission

GIS

What is GIS (Geographic Information System)

As part of the Southwest Louisiana Regional Planning & Development Commission, the mission of the Geographic Information System (GIS) Department is to integrate hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information. 

To achieve this mission, the GIS Department updates survey benchmarks and continues to update and check 9-1-1 addresses for accuracy. The department also develops GIS layers and provides maps and coverage for each member entity as well as for the public.

Prior to GIS, cartography and other mapping processes had their foundation in geography, whereas a GIS system enables computer automated processes to connect the dots in meaningful and impactful ways. The foundational shift of GIS is to allow for the organization and visualization of data as layers for ease of access to a broader audience.