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RDN board to vote on spending $150,000 for mapping software

ESRI Canada successful RFP proponent, RDN to vote as part of 2019 budget
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The Regional District of Nanaimo board will vote on awarding a $152,000 contract to ESRI Canada to replace its current online mapping system, pictured here. (RDN online screenshot)

Regional District of Nanaimo directors are recommending spending more than $150,000 on website map software as part of the 2019 budget.

According to a staff report, the RDN currently uses the Onpoint product by Rolta, but wants to upgrade to something newer and more user-friendly. A supply and installation of an online map system request for proposals closed Oct. 19 and ESRI Canada was the successful of two proponents, with a bid of $151,810 which doesn’t include tax. ESRI had the highest-ranked overall proposal, the report said.

Delcy Wells, RDN general manager of corporate services, said details on how the new map system will work are still to be determined, as ESRI and the regional district will be meeting for further discussion. It is time for a change, she said.

“I haven’t heard any complaints (about the software) myself, but I know that the software that we’re using is dated and that we could provide a better user experience, which is what we’re after here,” said Wells. “It’ll just look nicer, it will be more amenable to doing features within the maps. Just the technology of mapping has changed so much since we started doing mapping here … we started using (current) software in 2002, so it’s just sort of high time for an upgrade and you can imagine how much the technology has improved over all that time.”

The RDN’s 2018 budget saw $125,000 set aside for the online map upgrade and the report said the 2019 budget will be amended to include an extra $30,000. Wells said the regional district underestimated the total price required.

RDN directors will give final approval at their Jan. 22 board meeting and it will also be contingent on approval of this year’s budget.



reporter@nanaimobulletin.com

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Karl Yu

About the Author: Karl Yu

After interning at Vancouver Metro free daily newspaper, I joined Black Press in 2010.
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