Introduction
Civic addressing is more than community names, street signs and numbers on houses. It is a comprehensive system that involves the public, municipalities, First Nations communities, government departments, emergency response agencies, and telephone service providers; and is used for everything from milk delivery, fire response to elections.
Nova Scotia has developed an integrated civic addressing system that extends well beyond simple addressing needs. It is now used by multiple government departments and other stakeholders that require address information, and the road network database is integrated into provincial and federal mapping programs. This approach stems from the provincial GeoNova program that strives to collect data as close to the source as possible, and share with as wide an audience as possible.
The primary mandate of civic addressing is to support emergency response services. To fulfill this, the data must be complete, accurate and up to date. The data must also be available to service the needs of the other integrated users.
The original civic address system is being rebuilt on a new platform and georeferenced civic address data is now available through the Nova Scotia Civic Address File (NSCAF). This centralized graphical database is used to standardize the format and availability of these data in the province. The georeferenced approach to civic addressing is just beginning to be adopted in other jurisdictions, but is essential to meet the needs of wireless communications and to fulfill the other requirements on civic addressing and other programs. The NSCAF supports both point and range based (address ranges assigned to road segments) addressing. Point based addressing is the "next generation" of addressing and permits precise mapping and the inclusion of more civic address attributes than are possible with range based systems.
Background: History of Civic Addressing in Nova Scotia
Civic addressing has existed in Halifax and other urban areas of Nova Scotia for well over one hundred years. However, a complete, province wide civic address system was only completed in the early 1990's. That system was developed with the support of a paper based mapping approach.
As time passed, this system became very difficult to maintain. In addition, during the mid 1990's, the responsibility for maintaining civic addresses was moved from the provincial government to the fifty-five municipal governments. Several municipalities developed civic addressing by-laws, policies, and guidelines to standardize the application of civic addressing, and to help ensure compliance. Each municipal agency handled maintenance of the data in their own way. Some used digital mapping technology to assist them, and others continued to utilize paper maps.
In 1997, the GeoNova Advisory Committee identified the need for a digital, geo-referenced civic address database, referred to as the Nova Scotia Civic Address File (NSCAF). The NSCAF would provide a standard, geo-referenced digital database of civic addresses province wide and a supporting maintenance strategy.
A consultant was retained by the Province to develop a technical concept and strategy for the creation of the NSCAF that would support the delivery of emergency services as well as other applications. This concept and resulting strategy were based on principles of maximizing the use of existing provincial and municipal data, so that the NSCAF would be developed and maintained as cost effectively as possible. The NSCAF would comprise:
a digital road centerline file
a geographically referenced civic address point file
a maintenance process that would permit an acceptable level of data currency
In 1998/99 a pilot project was conducted based on this NSCAF Conceptual Report. A data model was developed, and a NSCAF database was built for the pilot area using this data model. In addition, a data maintenance process was conceptualized, and a set of policies, procedures, and guidelines to support the province wide implementation were compiled. Many recommendations were also included in the final report which were used to assist and guide the province wide implementation. The pilot project used resources, assistance and ideas from many agencies at both the provincial and municipal levels.
The results of the pilot were approved by the NSCAF Steering Committee in the spring of 1999 and after the draft report findings were presented to the provincial/municipal governments and the public in June 1999, the final report was submitted to the Department of Housing and Municipal Affairs (DHMA) late in the fall of that year.
The primary recommendation in the report was that the Province should incorporate civic addressing information into the existing geographic data features of the topographic mapping database to create a Nova Scotia Civic Address File. The second was that DHMA (now Service Nova Scotia and Muncipal Relations) be designated as the lead agency for the development and management of a NSCAF and that the project commence quickly so as to complete coverage by 2002/03. The anticipated benefits from the implementation of this province-wide initiative include:
a centralized maintenance process that is coordinated by the provincial government
integration of the E-911 paper based system into the provincial digital mapping environment to permit improved emergency service delivery and response
more effective coordination with federal departments to leverage new and additional resources and technology
increased revenue generation opportunities through the development of value added products and services
All of these activities lead to the province-wide building of the NSCAF, which began in 2000/ 2001.
Current Situation
The success of this new civic addressing system has to be credited to the efforts of many people and agencies. Municipalities and First Nations communities from across the province have been instrumental in helping build and maintain the NSCAF. There has been considerable effort by Emergency Measures Organization (EMO), the Department of Transportation and Public Works (TPW) and Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations (SNSMR) staff in building the NSCAF. Significant contributions from all the stakeholders have helped build the system, and their continued input will allow the system to thrive. It is also recognized that the overall long term success of this Program will lie within the Municipalities, First Nations, and Federal Government Departments and Agencies to ensure that new roads, road signs, civic numbers and community boundaries and any revisions to these responsibilities are kept up to date.
The NSCAF is only one component of the civic address system. The initial steps required to build the system have involved legislation, road signage, civic number signage, and data collection support activities. These initiatives required extensive cooperation between many stakeholders throughout the Province. Cooperation between provincial departments and the municipalities has been a significant factor in the successful implementation of this project, we continue to work with all stakeholders to resolve issues around data and currency. The public also has a primary responsibility to ensure that their civic numbers are posted. All of these components are required for the system to function.
Technological improvements & future development work include customized applications designed to improve service delivery. Public Service Answering Points (PSAPs) will soon have a fully integrated map application linked to 911 information. The first Beta test version is scheduled for release in fall 2005. Also, an improved routing application will provide emergency providers with the shortest route possible. A scoping study will be undertaken soon.
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