February 10, 2012 -- GeoDecisions_®, an information technology company specializing in geospatial solutions, and its client, the City of Lebanon Authority (COLA), were recognized in the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania (ACEC/PA) 2012 Diamond Awards for Engineering Excellence. The entry, which focused on the deployment of the Rapid Response™ emergency notification system for COLA, received an Honor Award in the Surveying and Mapping technology category. The Honor Award is the highest honor bestowed on a project in each category.

The Rapid Response system is an alert notification system designed to deliver high-speed phone, email, or text messages. It empowers users to generate precise alert lists and send automated messages from computers and mobile devices during emergency events. The system takes advantage of the advancements in web-based geographic information system (GIS) technology to safely and securely deploy alert notification capabilities to both field and office personnel.

Since its implementation, COLA has used Rapid Response to notify the public during emergency situations. “The mapping interface works great,” said Jonathan R. Beers, executive director at COLA. “Simplicity is the key, and Rapid Response makes it is easy to do these alerts.”

The Rapid Response deployment for COLA combined several technologies merged seamlessly together into one application. Real-time mapping and customer contact data updates are facilitated by linking to COLA’s customer information system data. The result is a user-friendly interface that combines a powerful web-based mapping engine with high-speed notification capabilities. Its advanced tools provide flexibility and ensure that messages are received by as many recipients as possible.
 
GeoDecisions’ experienced staff of professional consultants, analysts, and developers support clients worldwide. Fundamental to the company’s award-winning approach is the integration of spatial information to empower existing systems and processes. GeoDecisions’ philosophy is based on an enterprisewide approach to the integration of diverse information technologies, data formats, and systems.

GeoDecisions is ISO 9001:2008 Certified.

# # #

Bringing the Power of Spatial Information to the Enterprise