wpsgn.ca | Lite

About the Geography Network

The WPSGN is a formed committee in 2005 comprised of Municipal and Planning Board representatives from the west side of the Parry Sound District.

Our founding members include the Town of Parry Sound, the townships of The Archipelago, Carling, Seguin, McKellar, the municipalities of McDougall and Whitestone together with the Parry Sound Area Planning Board and the Archipelago Area Planning Board.

The WPSGN also partners with many of West Parry Sound Organizations including, but not limited to, Parry Sound Active Transportation, Georgian Bay Biosphere, Shawanaga First Nation, West Parry Sound Smart Community, East and West Parry Sound Victim Services, The Museum On Tower Hill - West Parry Sound Museum, Community Business and Development Centre Parry Sound Area, West Parry Sound Bay and Beyond - Invest West Parry Sound, District of Parry Sound Social Services Administration Board, Waabnoong Bemjiwang Association of First Nations and the West Parry Sound Health Unit including Parry Sound Ambulance and Dispatch.

Organization Overview

Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1)

Across Canada, the public safety 9-1-1 community is facing a critical, pivotal moment in its history. The existing 9-1-1 system was designed in an era of landline telephones and assumes the calls are coming from fixed, known addresses. Today, most emergency calls originate from smartphones and IP devices, often while away from home. As a result, these changes are driving this historic evolution to next-generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1).

Is West Parry Sound ready for NG9-1-1?

Thanks to all the work with each municipality since the creation of the Geography Network, West Parry Sound is ready. The Geography Network has many of the datasets required for NG9-1-1. The Geography Network also has the work process and is able to provide up to date datasets in in near real-time to the provincial data aggregator, beating the target of providing data every 72 hours.

What is WHAT 3 WORDS?

West Parry Sound Geography Network is a municipal collaboration to provide a shared service (mapping, information & technology) among multiple organizations.

Our information is consumed not only by Municipal Staff and Council in West Parry Sound, but also by our Essential Services, i.e. 9-1-1 Dispatch, Ambulance, O.P.P, Fire Departments, First responders, East & West Parry Sound Victim Services, Health Centre, Social Services, & School Board Transportation Services. All other community organizations, businesses and the public can access this information also as a public user.

To simplify the way we communicate specific locations, we have embedded 3 word addressing (What 3 Words) in our main interactive mapping application. Now you can use the unique 3 word address to find or share any exact location in West Parry Sound.

There are four ways to interact using 3 Word Addresses:
1. On a desktop client, simply move your mouse on top of the map and see the 3-word address at the bottom right for that location.
2. Tap or click directly on the map and get the 3-word address for that point/location.
3. Search for any 3-word address by entering your 3 words in the search text box. e.g. “huddling.finally.mandate” will show our main office building.
4. Share your 3-word location as a URL or a direct link to our system. E.g. For a construction company, share a link to show where to dump a load of gravel on a large property. The 3-word address is specific enough to allow the gravel to be dumped in the exact location needed.

Confusing to most, there are too many different coordinate systems to learn, and traditional addressing is most times not precise enough, and doesn’t even exist in some places. With the simplicity of 3-word addressing, we can use it to help find specific locations and relate those locations to some of the many layers of information available in our districts data warehouse. E.g. High resolution, current air photography, up to date, current road centreline and civic address points, AED/Defibrillator Locations, Municipal Fire Rating, Property Boundaries, to name a few.

2019 Excellence in Municipal Systems award

Every year, The Municipal Information Systems Association (MISA) of Ontario recognizes municipalities, individuals within municipalities and organizations for excellence in the use and delivery of technology. A panel made up of representatives from various municipalities selects award recipients from all nominations received.

Criteria includes:
1. Furtherance of a municipality's strategic objectives using information technology;
2. Demonstrated improvement in service delivery to clients, citizens or businesses;
3. High level of collaboration between IT and other municipal departments, as shown for example in a joint submission between IT and a client business unit.

Press Release: MISA Ontario Announces 2019 Award Winners at Annual Conference in Niagara Falls

2015 E.S.R.I. Award of Excellence

ESRI Canada proudly recognizes the West Parry Sound Geography Network for innovation in the field of Geographic Information Systems with the Award of Excellence in GIS.

Criteria includes:
Use of mapping technology facilitates efficient data sharing and increased collaboration among rural municipalities