ArcGIS Powers 911 Situational Awareness in Lafayette Parish

Every second matters on a 911 call. When a caller is panicked, when an officer is racing toward an unknown scene, or when a child can only say “I’m at school,” location becomes the difference between help arriving in minutes or not arriving in time at all.

In Louisiana, the Lafayette Parish Communication District (LPCD) understands that accurate location intelligence isn’t a technical nice‑to‑have—it’s the foundation of effective emergency response.

Growing public safety demands across the parish’s 260,000 residents, combined with rapid advances in technology, pushed LPCD to modernize its 911 operations. That need set the stage for a transformation that would establish ArcGIS technologies as the core of a real‑time, unified system supporting the life‑and‑death decisions call takers and dispatchers make every day.

For years, LPCD call takers relied on a legacy mapping system that placed 911 callers on road centerlines—effectively the middle of a road—rather than their actual locations. Callers’ locations were often shown hundreds of yards from where help was truly needed. In rural areas of Lafayette Parish, where homes sit far off the roadway and landmarks are limited, those inaccuracies made it harder for dispatchers to guide field units quickly and confidently.

Beyond accuracy issues, much of LPCD’s critical data lived in separate systems that didn’t communicate with one another. Updating maps required manual intervention at each computer-aided dispatch (CAD) host site, making frequent updates nearly impossible. First responders using mobile data terminals in the field often worked with outdated maps, and dispatchers had no way to ensure everyone shared the same operational picture.

As the parish grew and call volumes increased, LPCD needed a unified geographic information system (GIS) platform capable of storing richer datasets, updating rapidly, and delivering precise location intelligence during the moments when seconds matter most.

With the help of Esri partner The Geospatial Group, LPCD adopted ArcGIS Enterprise as its modern, centralized geographic information system. This foundation brings the agency’s data, maps, and services into one place and integrates seamlessly with the CAD system, giving call takers and responders access to current, reliable location information.

ArcGIS Enterprise also allows LPCD to manage richer datasets—such as address points, building footprints, and patrol and fire response zones—that the legacy system couldn’t support. These layers feed the maps used during calls, giving call takers, dispatchers, and officers a complete, accurate picture of each location.

The shift to ArcGIS Enterprise also transformed how LPCD updates its maps. Instead of installing changes manually at each CAD site, staff update their GIS data once, and those updates flow automatically to dispatch consoles and mobile data terminals (MDTs). Edits that once took hours now appear in CAD within 30 to 45 minutes, reducing the chance that anyone works from outdated information.

LPCD also strengthened reliability by hosting ArcGIS Enterprise in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud, a secure environment designed to meet public safety requirements. Core components–including the ArcGIS Enterprise portal, ArcGIS Server, and ArcGIS GeoEvent Server—run within this environment and connect smoothly to the CAD system. Supporting services such as Amazon RDS for SQL Server help manage spatial and relational data and allow LPCD to perform monthly maintenance and failover without interrupting daily operations.

Call takers, dispatchers and responders now work from the same accurate information, whether they are in the 911 center or out in the field. By modernizing its GIS foundation with ArcGIS Enterprise, LPCD created a dependable, real‑time environment that supports faster decisions and prepares the agency for future growth.
 

LPCD strengthened its operations by bringing real-time data into both the 911 center and the field, and then went a step further by upgrading its automatic vehicle location (AVL) capabilities. In the past, AVL updates trickled in through a slow, round robin process that cycled through hundreds of units one at a time. This created delays and made it difficult for dispatchers to see where units actually were during fast-moving calls.

To solve this, the project team employed ArcGIS GeoEvent Server to stream live unit locations directly into LPCD maps. The Geospatial Group integrated these real-time feeds into both the CAD system and an interactive map, giving LPCD call takers—and surrounding agencies dispatchers—a current view of unit availability and proximity to active calls.

Today, each vehicle reports its location based on time and distance rather than waiting for its turn in a polling cycle. Dispatchers can watch units move across the map as incidents unfold. This real‑time visibility reinforces officer safety, improves response times, and helps teams make faster, more confident decisions. And administrators benefit from detailed analytics, using AVL data for investigations, crime statistics, and resource allocation.

With ArcGIS Enterprise in place, LPCD turned its attention to the people who rely on this information every day. Support staff needed tools that fit their workflows and didn’t require specialized GIS training. Working with The Geospatial Group, LPCD introduced several applications built on ArcGIS to make core tasks easier, faster, and more accessible, without GIS training.

One application, called DataSIGHT, gives staff a simple way to update key GIS information—such as address points, centerlines, common places, and other location details—through a browser. These edits flow into CAD within 30 to 45 minutes, allowing staff to add notes such as hazards, keyholder information, or context an officer may need when responding to an address. For example, an address can be flagged of a home that includes an autistic child so officers can arrive informed.
 

DataSIGHT also supports operational workflows beyond mapping. LPCD uses it to manage alarm identification numbers in CAD, so when an alarm company reports an incident, telecommunicators can immediately access the correct address and keyholder information. This reduces dependence on GIS specialists and helps keep data accurate and ready for use during high‑pressure calls.

LPCD also uses ArcGIS Dashboards to better understand call activity. Before adopting ArcGIS, gathering insights required time‑consuming manual searches that often prevented meaningful analysis. The dashboard application CallSIGHT gives users a pop‑up view of active or historical calls, where they can filter by type or location, explore map details, and identify trends. Every selection updates the dashboard instantly. Today, supervisors and administrators use it to support staffing decisions, budget planning, and resource allocation.
 

LPCD expanded its situational awareness inside buildings as well. Using ArcGIS Indoors, the project team created detailed floor plans for schools, public buildings, and event venues—more than 60 facilities across the parish. The Geospatial Group integrated these maps into FloorSIGHT, a web-based application built using ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript and accessible to dispatchers from CAD. With clear labels for rooms, doors, and windows—and the ability to zoom directly to the floor or space where help is needed—dispatchers can guide officers more precisely during high‑risk calls.

Together, these ArcGIS software‑enabled tools help LPCD meet users where they are. By making complex GIS tasks more approachable and streamlining data maintenance, LPCD expanded visibility into call activity and strengthened the information responders rely on during emergencies.
 

LPCD’s modernization efforts have created a stronger, more resilient foundation for emergency response. Their efforts resulted in a system built on accurate data, real‑time intelligence, and tools that support call takers, dispatchers, and officers in the field. With ArcGIS Enterprise at the center of its operations, the district can update information quickly, share it seamlessly, and give every responder a clearer picture of where help is needed.

As director Craig Stansbury puts it, “Incorporating GIS into our workflows has transformed the way we provide the highest quality safety operations for the citizens of Lafayette Parish.”

Next, LPCD plans to migrate its address data into Esri’s Address Data Management solution to align with Next Generation 911 (NG911) standards and the NENA NG911 GIS Data Model. This shift will help ensure the district can continue meeting rising public safety demands and evolve alongside national requirements.

“We are excited to keep advancing with these technologies to bring even more innovative solutions to public safety,” said Stansbury.