PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — Calvert County’s emergency system will officially go forward with the purchase of a five-year DATAMARK Geographic Information System (GIS) subscription, promising to optimize efficiency, reduce staff manual workload and ensure a smooth-running GIS environment. The software meets national compliance standards.
An emergency GIS is a system that builds and gathers information to essentially map an area. It provides first responders with tools to answer and route to calls, according to accurate addresses included in the GIS.
The contract will provide two different services: workforce help and resources.
The county will access contract employees with DATAMARK to offload some responsibilities so they don’t have to hire more staff for specific tasks. Calvert will also be able to upload its own GIS data to national 911 data to identify discrepancies and errors. Basically, it makes it so if someone calls 911, their address is going to be right — then departments can route first responders quickly and accurately.
The software was formally adopted into the fiscal year 2025 budget, but purchase and implementation is covered by a grant from the Maryland 911 Board totaling $171,696.71. The Calvert Department of Public Safety and Emergency Communications Division applied for the grant in April. It will not impact the current year’s budget.
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