Basingstoke, 28 March 2022 – South Somerset District Council (SSDC) has deployed XMAP, the Geographic Information System (GIS) platform, to join-up service delivery, engage with communities and develop stronger relationships with town and parish councils. Implemented to support the Council’s Digital Transformation Strategy as it works alongside four other Somerset Councils to create a new, single authority in 2023, XMAP has transformed the way geospatial intelligence is stored, accessed and shared, both within the Council and with other government organisations.
XMAP is a cloud-based data and software service from Geoxphere and is providing a robust platform for future digital transformations at SSDC. It has also facilitated the sharing of real-time updates and service delivery information with residents and businesses via the Council’s website.
“Digital transformation is not just about technology, it’s about how we reimagine the way we operate using digital technology to enable different ways of working and engaging, and XMAP helps us do this,” comments Paul Angulo, digital specialist at South Somerset District Council. “XMAP ensures we have access to the most up to date national mapping so we can create, maintain and benefit from, a single source of data across multiple applications. We can also share this intelligence with other organisations and residents.
“XMAP also bridges the gap between specialist users and non-technical staff. It seamlessly integrates with our desktop GIS and we’re utilising XMAP’s public mapping web service, whilst Parish council software provides updates for back-office systems in planning and building control, for example.”
Initially recommended by a local user of XMAP’s tier 3 solution, Parish Online, SSDC selected XMAP following a rigorous evaluation and benchmarking process which considered cloud pedigree, local authority specific functionality, ability to integrate, maintained base data and user friendliness.
“Since implementing XMAP we haven’t looked back, it has delivered everything that was promised, and more. We were fully supported throughout the transition process and since then each time we have asked for help the response has gone beyond expectation,” he continues. “We have also significantly increased the number of users and departments that are benefiting from the golden thread that location data provides, and we will continue to do so, with new applications coming onboard every day.”
XMAP is the only truly cloud-based web GIS specifically designed for Local Authorities. Accessible from any, web-enabled device, XMAP includes a suite of inbuilt workflows to support delivery of Council services such as planning, housing, waste and recycling, and street services. XMAP comes complete with more than 250 geospatial data layers as well as a fully maintained Ordnance Survey map stack and already has over 4,000 daily users benefiting from unlimited access, encrypted and secure data storage.
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