The Case for CAD-to-GIS Integration — And How to Achieve It

Imagine that a hostage situation is unfolding at a business. It’s the result of a domestic dispute, so it’s emotionally charged. The hostage taker is heavily armed and unstable, and SWAT is on the scene. Now imagine that a city bus filled with riders is rolling down the same street and is within a block or so, because the department of transportation (DOT) is in the dark about this incident and has no reason to think that it should reroute the bus. A lot can go wrong in this scenario in the blink of an eye, potentially causing many innocent people to suffer significant injury or even death.

Now imagine a scenario whereby the jurisdiction has a CAD-to-GIS capability in place. Such a capability has the potential to revolutionize how public-safety agencies collaborate, particularly as it relates to complex and fast-moving incidents.

While most people associate computer-aided-dispatch (CAD) systems with dispatching emergency responders, their value extends far beyond traditional police, fire/rescue, and emergency medical services (EMS) agencies to public-safety-adjacent agencies such as DOT, utility providers, and public works that also need real-time incident data to reroute traffic, respond to outages, or close streets safely. Such information enables better coordination and faster decision-making without the need for phone calls, emails, or manual notifications.

CAD-to-GIS versus CAD-to-CAD: What’s the difference?

CAD-to-CAD enables neighboring 911 centers to share incident data directly with each other, and in some cases dispatch responders from linked jurisdictions. This is crucial in metro areas where jurisdictional boundaries are blurred. One such place is the National Capital Region — covering Washington, D.C., and parts of Maryland and Virginia — which offers a glimpse of what’s possible. There, multiple jurisdictions have interconnected their CAD systems and are now sharing incident data and dispatching capabilities across environments.

In contrast, CAD-to-GIS focuses on exporting CAD data into a centralized spatial environment that can be accessed by a broader group of stakeholders. CAD-to-GIS is more immediately beneficial, serves a larger audience, and is simpler to implement. The local 911 authority exports incident data to a GIS team, which then makes the information available to DOTs, utilities, or public works in the form of dashboards or raw data feeds.

In the scenario described above, the GIS could draw a geofence around the perimeter of the hostage situation automatically, based on incident type, and share the data with the DOT. Its personnel then would have awareness of the incident and the area to avoid, which enables them to instruct all of the DOT’s bus drivers to avoid entering the area. Similarly, downed power lines or an area where a major sinkhole has appeared can be shared through the GIS to indicate where roads are closed and traffic patterns are affected.

Despite its obvious benefits, CAD-to-GIS integration is far from ubiquitous. Two major barriers stand in the way:

• Technological hesitancy — Many public-safety professionals are unfamiliar with GIS or skeptical of its value. Moreover, a pervasive “we’ve always done it this way” mindset exists that resists change.
• Data-sensitivity misconceptions — Some agencies mistakenly believe that all CAD data is sensitive and can’t be shared. But sharing basic incident location and scale — without personally identifiable information — is no more revealing than what’s broadcast over public-safety radio channels that anyone with a scanner can hear.

A 911 authority doesn’t need to overhaul its CAD system or build massive new infrastructure to begin integrating CAD data into GIS. Here’s a simplified path to getting started:

• Identify key partners — Start with agencies that your center interacts with most often — typically DOT, utilities, and public works.
• Understand their needs — Ask what data they need and how quickly it would improve their operations if it were delivered in seconds instead of minutes or hours.
• Leverage existing GIS infrastructure — Many agencies already push their own data into a shared GIS environment. If your 911 center is one of them, its incident data simply can be exported into this central system using tools like Esri’s GeoEvent Server.
• Customize output — Each agency or 911 center can tailor how it visualizes or responds to data, whether it’s a passive monitor or a real-time alert when incidents occur in specific geofenced areas.

It’s important to note that CAD-to-GIS is not a one-way street. While 911 centers benefit from pushing CAD data outward, they also stand to gain from pulling in data from other agencies. Knowing about road closures, utility outages, or weather-related hazards can help 911 telecommunicators route resources more effectively. The GIS platform eventually becomes a shared “data lake,” where all stakeholders contribute and consume data to maintain a real-time common operating picture.

It's also important to note that CAD-to-GIS integration isn't just a technological upgrade — it's a strategic move toward smarter, faster, and more coordinated emergency response. As more agencies recognize the value of real-time data sharing across departments, the path forward becomes clear: invest in education, overcome outdated misconceptions, and empower your region with the situational awareness that only integrated data can provide.

We can help you do that — let’s chat.

Robert Horne is MCP’s manager of 911 and GIS technologies. Email him at RobertHorne@MissionCriticalPartners.com.