My Neighborhood Redesign Initiative

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2012

In an effort to increase government accountability and transparency, many counties have been consolidating online databases into online catalogs with user-friendly tools. The Office of Information Technology of Baltimore County redesigned their My Neighborhood application to consolidate 11 computer applications such as Zoning, Enterprise Zones, Historic, and Facilities into a simple user-friendly interface. Users can use a single address search to generate dozens of commonly needed pieces of information like the property's plat map, zoning classification, school district, ownership and tax information, Census data, topography, environmental features and restrictions, historic district status and much more. This consolidation increases efficiency for all users, simplifies the usability of the data, and vastly improves the user's experience - all while reducing County staff time and costs for the County's GIS function and land use agencies. It also offers hyperlinks so a user can jump to other sites like the Census Bureau and more without having to start a news search. The County views this tools as an important step toward increasing efficiency and transparency within the local government.