Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that cities, states, and towns make public areas accessible to everyone by
installing aids like handrails, elevators, or parking spaces. In order to comply with those standards, the City of La Porte n
eeded to build or repair damaged sidewalks and ramps in neighborhoods around the city. But in order to plan and prioritize
the work, they needed to understand the problem.
Using aerial photography, maps of the city’s sidewalks were loaded onto handheld GPS units. Crews took those units out into the field,
and were able to enter information about each site, including precise coordinates, damage, and improper or missing ramps. One gigabyte
of data was collected, including more that 5,500 pictures, all of which was added back to the City’s Geographic Information System.
Results
More than just a map, the project resulted in a system that coordinated all the data, all the variables, and made it possible to access,
retrieve and compare mountains of information. The Board of Public Works and Safety was able to identify and estimate costs for the most
vital areas, and work with the ADA to become compliant as quickly as possible.
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