Our guest at this very well-attended meeting was Eric McHenry, Santa Rosa’s Chief Technology Officer.Eric described his early years at Hewlett Packard, then Agilent. He displayed a slide of the city’s website , and explained its current and future features. He’s introduced use of GIS (geographical information systems) to the website and showed several of the many maps he’s created showing distribution throughout the city of various factors: sales tax centers, senior population concentrations, and reported crime statistics. There is a recently added feature which allows viewers to easily indicate which areas of interest for which they want notices emailed to them. Look for the small envelopes next to departments or programs.

Eric has developed a system in which project models can be electronically “dropped” into already created maps of the built environment, to allow analysis. There was a lot of interest in having project plans for proposed development posted on the website that can be shared among interested neighbors. He said that while the technical ability to do that is available, policy decisions are required to allow it.

The city recently built a second storage center for city data on West College Avenue, to back up current data storage. Santa Rosa also has software to allow utilities payments online.

Eric and danta Rosa Vice mayor, Marsha Vas Dupre, spoke on the improvement in Comcast video services after competition appeared and city pressure was applied.

Our Community Media Center, which broadcasts live City Council and Planning Commission meetings (they can be viewed on the website, going back to 2004), is currently reaching out to provide service to the county and surrounding cities that don’t have their own systems.

I can’t possibly recount all the information and discussion in this format. You had to be there! Eric's presentation can be viewed here.

Anne E. Seeley