Good data lead to better decision making. We help our clients collect, organize, analyze and display spatial information so they can make informed decisions. Planning projects typically require data from many different sources and formats. These sources could include old aerial photographs, hand-drawn maps, CAD drawings, GPS data, as well as high-resolution satellite images. We bring these data together to set the context for planning efforts. Our planning projects include:
- Urban growth planning
- Buildout analysis
- Viewshed analysis
- Census data compilations
- Suitability modeling
Examples of Completed Planning Projects
- Ravalli County Development Suitability Analysis. Ravalli County Planning Department, Montana. DTM collaborated with the Planning Department and Geum Environmental (Hamilton, MT) to develop a comprehensive land development suitability model. The model presented an integrated inventory of the physical, biological and cultural resources of Ravalli County. This was intended to help develop a countywide zoning plan.
- Missoula County Resource Assessment. Missoula County Rural Initiatives Office, Montana. This project resulted in a comprehensive geodatabase of natural, cultural and historical resources for Missoula County. Products include a professionally-published book of thematic maps, and an interactive website is under construction. The datasets will be used by county planners to review development applications.
- Big Sky, Montana Incorporation Plan. Big Sky Owners’ Association. DTM compiled and summarized socioeconomic data for the town of Big Sky. Important information such as property values and the locations of registered voters was compiled into a GIS. The resulting database will help local citizens draw boundaries and draft petitions as they work through the process of incorporating the town.
- “Gallatin Today” Growth and Planning Maps. Gallatin County Planning Department, Montana. DTM was contracted by Gallatin County to produce a series of maps illustrating current development conditions and growth patterns of Gallatin County, Montana. These maps were compiled from existing GIS data sources provided by various organizations and agencies. The final maps were presented at public meetings in order to solicit comments and input from the public.
- Shiloh Neighborhood Growth Plan. City of Billings, Montana. DTM worked with Bear West Consulting to compile, assess and present conceptual development alternatives for the Shiloh area west of Billings, Montana. The project included compiling user input on perceived land values and development patterns, map generation and public involvement. The goal of the project was to help direct future growth patterns on the west side of Billings.
- Jackson Creek Hills, Montana, Proposed Development Viewshed Analysis. SicoMontana Corp. DTM performed a detailed viewshed analysis of this proposed rural subdivision east of Bozeman, Montana. Through this analysis, we were able to delineate what portion of the landscape and proposed homes would be visible from a series of six important vantage points. The analysis enabled the Gallatin County Commissioners to fully evaluate the project impacts on the viewshed and illustrated that home sites had been chosen to minimize these impacts. The result was the first unanimous approval of a development by the commissioners in over a year.
