Jan 28, 2019 GIS in Government: Identify Your Representatives for the 2019 Utah State Legislative Session

By Justin Sorensen

GIS (Geospatial Information Systems) are utilized by many fields and industries throughout the world. To highlight some of these fields, our Map Monday releases for the 2019 Spring Semester will provide examples of ways GIS can be employed within the work performed by such professionals.

For this map release, we will look at an example of GIS in Government.

Identify Your Representatives for the 2019 Utah State Legislative Session

Government data can reflect a vast number of subjects on local, regional, and national levels. Despite the differences in subject, a common factor expressed through each type of data is a reference to location. One area in which GIS can be used to establish location is the creation of political districts or boundaries used to identify representatives for a selected section of the population.

For this map, we will be viewing an example demonstrating how GIS can be used to identify representatives within the State Senate and the House of Representatives for the upcoming 2019 Utah State Legislative Session (January 28, 2019 – March 14, 2019). Currently, there are 29 districts for the Utah Senate and 75 districts for the House of Representatives. Every 10-years, boundaries for these districts (generated by the state legislature) are redrawn through a process known as redistricting. This process allows each district to represent nearly equal population numbers and not discriminate on factors including race or ethnicity.

The mapping application represents the current boundaries established for the Utah Senate and House of Representative districts, including their associated elected officials. Using the address locator within the application, individuals can quickly identify their representatives in both the Utah Senate and House of Representatives, with important information on how to connect with their representatives.

With new laws being proposed and voted on during the Utah State Legislative Session that will impact our communities, it is important to know how to connect with your representatives to make your thoughts and positions known.

Interested in learning more about GIS in other fields? Check out our collection of past Map Monday releases @ www.lib.utah.edu/services/geospatial

About Map Monday from GIS Services:

Throughout the semester, GIS Services will be releasing bi-weekly maps on a variety of topics, demonstrating ideas and uses for incorporating geospatial technology into research and projects you are developing. To view our collection of maps, projects, or to learn more about the geospatial services offered through the J. Willard Marriott Library, please visit the GIS Services website @ www.lib.utah.edu/services/geospatial

Happy Mapping!

Justin Sorensen | GIS Specialist
Creativity & Innovation Services / GIS Services
justin.sorensen@utah.edu