CAGIS (Cincinnati Area Geographic Information System) is an enterprise-wide information consortium that provides Cincinnati and Hamilton County government agencies and utilities with access to real-time data for decision support, leading to improvements in the coordination, efficiency and quality of public service. The system embeds existing business rules and the management of information resources directly into departmental workflows, all made possible through the innovative integration of geographic information system (GIS) technology with automated business-process workflow software.

CAGIS began in 1986 as a regional consortium to share the cost of an automated mapping project. Over the years, the organization’s vision has expanded and evolved, and today CAGIS has become an enabling technology, supporting the goal of increasing organization-wide coordination and information sharing. Document management and field implementation are key elements to both the GIS and workflow. CAGIS serves over 2,000 employees of the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and the local power company, Cinergy, in mission-critical business operations. GIS is an integral component of the permitting and licensing operations and is maintained through technology embedded in the workflows themselves. It has become the means for integrating work order, customer service and billing systems. CAGIS technology is now used by front-counter staffs, plan examiners, planning, engineering, accounting, dispatch, and field crews in many agencies.

Of course, CAGIS can also make maps, which are available to the general public. The public can request maps by calling (513) 352-1644 or by faxing a request to (513) 352-3557. CAGIS charges for the time it takes to prepare maps, but not for the data. There is a pricing schedule, which is updated annually, so call for information. CAGIS data primarily covers only Hamilton County, although the system does have some data for contiguous counties, and is accurate to +/- 2.5 feet. Selected data is also available on the Internet at: http://cagis.hamilton-co.org/