Maps can communicate ideas instantaneously. Metes and bounds on the other hand, while necessary as a legal recording of property, read like a foreign language to the uninitiated. Points beginning here or there, and then north for a certain number of degrees, and west for some more, etc. etc. Good for the surveyors, but what about the rest of us? Planners understand this, and many cultivate a love of maps at a young age. Residents and local officials, who know their communities better than anyone else, can still learn a significant amount of new information, or recognize unnoticed patterns in their urban makeup, by analyzing a well-made map. Mapping software, in the form of Geographic Information Systems, better known as GIS, is more powerful than ever. However, it is also pricey and inaccessible for many smaller communities. This is one area in which the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) can help, and did so in collaborating with the Town of Williamsport in Washington County ...

As the cliché goes, information is power. Few would argue this, but one could claim that information has a worthy competitor: time. Magical digital devices in our pockets can deliver the answer to mundane trivia when debating with friends, or display the weather radar when deciding if we should stay at the park. One should never underestimate the impact of required information delivered rapidly. But what about when information is more complicated than the American League Batting Champion in 1966? The answer is the Orioles' own Frank Robinson by the way, hitting .316. It was a pitchers' era. What if the sources of information are wide-ranging, or if you don't even know exactly what you are looking for, but you know what the answer can deliver? This may seem esoteric, but it is a challenge facing many individuals or organizations seeking state assistance online. They know what they want in the end, but they don't know what steps to take to get there, or even what resources can make those steps lighter. The Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) developed InfoPortal to help ...

Myra serves as the Lead Clearinghouse Coordinator for the Electronic-Maryland Intergovernmental Review and Coordination Process (E-MIRC). In her capacity as the Lead Clearinghouse Coordinator, she makes sure that the day to day operations of the Clearinghouse run smoothly.  ...