Information Communications Technology (ICT) Innovations Mississippi Asset Map State of Mississippi Craig P. Orgeron, Ph.D.,CPM Executive Director Department of Information Technology Services Craig.Orgeron@its.ms.gov 601-432-8000 Project Initiation Date: April 2010 Project Completion Date: April 2012
Executive Summary The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) created the Asset Development Division to focus on non-traditional economic development opportunities unique to Mississippi. The asset mapping program meets that criteria by furnishing mapped communities with a comprehensive inventory of existing unique assets as seen through the eyes of a team of experienced economic developers. Often times, communities don t recognize the potential benefits of promoting their community assets. They see them every day and overlook the opportunities for growth and economic development. Simply gathering the asset inventory does nothing to improve the life of Mississippi citizens, but delivering this information in a highly accessible, state-wide venue and easy-to-use format for individuals and businesses will introduce new opportunities not previously afforded the communities. The Mississippi asset map delivers the information gathered regarding these community assets in a comprehensive and efficient delivery mechanism. The website (http://assetmap.mississippi.org) pinpoints historic sites, unique businesses, tourist attractions and natural resources found in communities that have chosen to go through the MDA asset mapping process. By identifying and inventorying a community s assets, we can help community leaders develop long-term strategic sustainable growth plans by utilizing their existing assets to improve their communities and make them more competitive, said Joy Foy, MDA Asset Development Division director. This website is designed to showcase many of the unique assets found throughout Mississippi. Working with Information Technology Systems of Mississippi and the Gary Hennington design group at Geospatial, we are striving to make this map a great resource to residents and visitors to our state. It will continue to grow as more communities participate in our asset mapping process. A feature of the Mississippi Asset Map is the ability to track the number of visitors to the website. MDA intends to use this data to report on successes related to community asset development, such as job growth, economic expansion, new business development, increases in tourism volume or traffic, or overall growth in the community economic disposition. Whether you are an individual looking for a unique weekend getaway, a visitor planning an educational or historical vacation through Mississippi, or a businessman evaluating the potential of a Mississippi community to establish a new business, the Mississippi Development Authority s Mississippi Asset Map website is a tool providing access to information in a manner not previously afforded in a state-wide format. This site was designed to bring pride to local Mississippians and to entice visitors to see authentic Mississippi assets, from Tunica in the north to Ocean Springs in the southern part of the state. 1
Business Problem The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) created the Asset Development Division to focus on non-traditional economic development opportunities unique to Mississippi. These include many and varied unique assets that have gone under-utilized for years. Everything from the creative talent (the first heart transplant was performed at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and the many outstanding writers, singers and artists) along with the physical assets (the natural beauty of the Delta farms, the Pine Belt region, the Mississippi Gulf Coast shoreline, and abundant wildlife) to the man-made assets (architecture, entertainment venues, historic sites). The Asset Development Division was charged to help communities showcase and use more efficiently local assets. We promote community development focus as an additional tool to enhance economic development opportunities. Once cities and towns identify those things that make them special, they re better equipped to tell their story. This technique is available to all communities, large or small, major assets or minimal. Mississippi communities are diverse, with great places to live, work, worship, and raise families. Much of our uniqueness is derived from assets like cultural heritage, hospitality, unspoiled waterways, forests, natural resources, infrastructure, and recreational choices. The asset mapping program furnishes mapped communities with a comprehensive inventory of existing unique assets as seen through the eyes of a team of experts organized specifically for each community. Some local officials don t recognize the potential benefits to promoting their community assets. Familiarity of these assets causes overlooked opportunities for growth, economic development and tourist potential. The asset mapping team members are experienced and share ideas from best-practice ideas they ve seen used in other Mississippi communities, or from their travels, training or reading. The mapped communities are given an inventory of their assets, along with many suggestions and ideas on how those assets can be utilized. When a community requests to participate in the asset mapping process, the Asset Development Division organizes teams comprised of people from MDA, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Mississippi Main Street Association, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the state s universities and other partner organizations. Equipped with cameras, maps and GPS devices, the teams explore the communities, taking notes about museums, creative talent, schools, industries, locally owned businesses, natural resources, historical assets and other distinct features. The teams then offer advice to local leaders regarding possible projects to better utilize the unique assets they discovered, and resources to help accomplish the recommendations. Having a one-stop-shop to showcase Mississippi assets, other state agencies have the potential to use the Mississippi Asset Map for information, as well as to collaborate on sharing additional state data such as the Mississippi Department of Archives and History s architectural mapping project. 2
Solution Tourists from around the nation and the world were already visiting our state. The Asset Development Division, working through a process known as asset mapping, was designed to help communities capitalize on their uniqueness, and to promote the authentic story of each of Mississippi s towns and cities. The asset mapping team s recommendations help communities build a better quality of life for residents, making it easier to recruit retail development, manufacturing jobs and to grow the population. Simply gathering the asset inventory does nothing to improve the life of Mississippi citizens, but delivering this information in a highly accessible, easy-to-use format for individuals and businesses will introduce new experiences and opportunities not previously afforded to our communities. The MS Asset Map website delivers the information gathered regarding these community assets in a comprehensive and efficient delivery mechanism, and we are working to enhance the site yearly. The site pinpoints historic sites, unique businesses, tourist attractions, and natural resources found in communities that have chosen to go through the MDA asset mapping process. The website also highlights markers found along the state s Blues Trail. It features a search function enabling visitors to search unique assets within an individual community or on a statewide level. A flash-based web mapping foundation tool was used to develop the website and deliver the information. This same foundation was also used in the development of other State websites such as the Mississippi Department of Archives and History s architectural mapping project as well as other projects, which will allow for ease of integration of these sites as the Mississippi Asset Map website matures and collaboration with these other information resources becomes a natural expansion of services and information. A flash-based web mapping foundation tool was used to develop the website and deliver the information. This same foundation also was used in the development of other State websites such as the Mississippi Department of Archives and History s architectural mapping project, as well as other projects, that will allow for ease of integration of these sites. As the Mississippi Asset Map website matures, collaboration with these other information resources becomes a natural expansion of services and information. The website tools will allow core functionality that includes a trip planner and a tool to offer geographic suggestions to the user. The trip planner provides a shopping cart experience for the user to remember places of interest and provides a geographic route between those assets. The geographic search tool offers the user suggestions of places or events based on a chosen theme and chosen location of interest. This Mississippi Asset Map website uses the State of Mississippi s GIS application architecture, as well as Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) derived GIS 3
services and applications. Mapping services are provided by both ESRI servers and State Data Center servers, depending on the scale of the mapping request. While the GPS mapped sites and pictures depict the unique assets of the mapped communities, other useful information includes broadband mapping data, the location of the MDA tourism s musical markers, layers to show the planning and development districts, the area codes for phone service, zip codes, public school districts, U.S. Congressional Districts, major Power Regions, MDA Regions, and Parks and Wildlife Management areas. The map can be viewed as a street level, aerial, or topographical map of our state. While these types of projects do not offer overnight success, they represent real local accomplishments. Their success garners confidence in local leaders to attempt other projects. We now have several Mississippi success stories born of this snowball effect. There are communities that are doing a great job with asset development and some are just grasping this can-do attitude. Too often, Mississippi is a surprise and a delight to our visitors, who accidentally discover the bread pudding at Davidson s on the Square in Canton or enjoy an arts workshop overlooking breath-taking Biloxi Bay in Ocean Springs. With this map, we hope to promote these assets to a wider audience. When the website was initially introduced, MDA promoted it through press releases, public speaking engagements, an economic development newsletter, and through partner entity s communications resources. Additionally, the MS Asset Map website has been linked to multiple other websites and vice versa to expand the exposure of the site. MDA has also used surveys to solicit feedback about the site including ease of use, areas for improvement, new or different data elements, etc. from the communities and business partners (Private sector partners, state agencies, universities, community colleges). Ongoing maintenance and support of the website and related supporting data will be the responsibility of MDA, specifically the Asset Development Division staff or via their support agreements with other state entities and/or vendor partners. The Asset Development Division staff collects new and updated fieldwork data for the site and keeps the information fresh and accurate. The Asset Development Division staff works with the communities to assure that the information is current and relevant. Significance By identifying and inventorying a community s assets, we can help community leaders develop long-term strategic growth plans utilizing their existing assets to improve their communities and make them more competitive, said Joy Foy, MDA Asset Development Division director. This website is designed to showcase many of the unique assets found throughout Mississippi for both visitors to the state and locals looking for an adventure. It s a great resource to have in place, and it will continue to grow as more communities participate in our asset mapping process. 4
For communities who don t have their own web presence, this website will serve that purpose for them and will be an additional marketing tool for all Mississippi communities. Where communities or community assets have their own websites, the Mississippi Asset Map website offers the opportunity for the sites to be linked together to increase exposure. For the individual, the website provides the ability to see pictures of a community and get the exact GPS location of a community s assets. The pictures are included to help someone get a better understanding of what Mississippi has to offer. This map has the potential to ensure that anyone visiting an area for a particular purpose will not miss out on other local unique assets that are in close proximity. For the investor, the website provides a unique, simple to use research tool. They can explore communities without travel expense or time to identify opportunities that may exist for new or growing businesses. Benefits of the Project The Mississippi Asset Map website will allow users to explore, experience, and enjoy Mississippi s unique assets. This website was designed to help residents, visitors, and businesses view these assets in an easy-to-use map format. This website helps you locate and learn about the State's historic sites, unique businesses, tourist attractions, and natural resources found in communities that have chosen to go through the MDA asset mapping process. As stated earlier, many of the local communities don t recognize the potential benefits of promoting their community assets because they see them every day and overlook the opportunities for growth, economic development, and exposure hidden in these community treasures. Through continued development and improvement to the Mississippi Asset Map website, MDA hopes to assist all communities in reaching a higher potential for development. The website enables users to search unique assets within an individual community or on a statewide level, and provides information about these communities at the click of the mouse without leaving the comfort of your home or office. For every asset listed on the map, the potential exists to link directly to that asset if a website is available or to the community website. The significance of this is that it expands the information available to the individual or business by providing direct access to additional community information such as local tax records, business data bases, and all local quality of life benefits that are commonly part of the city, county, and local organizations websites. The Mississippi Asset Map website will be able to track hits and will share reports with the communities on a quarterly basis. Though too new to get accurate trends or to produce verifiable results, MDA intends to use these analytics and reporting data to track successes related to community asset development, specifically those 5
fostered through information obtained or utilized from the Mississippi Asset Map website, to determine the job growth, economic expansion, new business development, increases in tourism volumes or traffic, and overall growth in the communities economic disposition. Whether you have lived in Mississippi your entire life or only visiting for the first time, this asset map is designed to help you enjoy our beautiful landscapes, historic sites, cultural amenities, local shopping, and talent of our creative people. We don t want anyone finding out after they have left an area that they missed some of the unique Mississippi opportunities that were right around the corner from where they spent the weekend. 6