Despite having a rather small GIS Department with only one employee, this system manages to get data to numerous departments and the general public, serving as a data-sharing warehouse. Love said having a department of one creates some hurdles in getting data to all potential clients, but it hasn’t stopped Halifax’s GIS from becoming a leader in GIS design and services. The GIS team at Anderson & Associates helps by making the information easily available with WebGIS, a customizable application that allows localities to place limitless information online.

Asked to describe the uses of this system, Love can hardly list all of them. Halifax’s GIS is commonly used to display voting districts to citizens and county leaders and by the Public Works Department to print neighborhood layouts for potential work. Additionally, businesses use the system to develop marketing plans and contractors, and utility companies have used the WebGIS site for location and property owner queries during the Town of Halifax streetscape project.

A vital part of the site is the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP) imagery. The use of VBMP images has created more interest in the site and a visual reference of locations. Halifax’s WebGIS, along with VBMP images, has been used in public hearings, by the zoning administrator for initial visual checks on zoning complaints, and in court for the depiction of crime scenes.

Love said, "Anderson & Associates has been a crucial partner in broadening the scope of our GIS in Halifax, as well as great public awareness of it through WebGIS."

Mary Ann said she hopes to make significant steps towards becoming 100 percent employee owned and to develop enthusiasm for this ownership among employees. In the coming years as she serves on the committee, Mary Ann hopes the committee will sponsor more activities to educate employees about employee-ownership and to foster enthusiasm for buying out the rest of the company stock.