The Village of Bluffton took a major step forward to go below ground this month.

Bluffton council has agreed to put into place a Geographic Information System (GIS) created for sewer mapping.

Geographic Information System software is designed to store, retrieve, manage, display, and analyze all types of geographic and spatial data. GIS software enables users to produce maps and other graphic displays of geographic information for analysis and presentation.

The purchase price of $22,075 breaks down at $13,735 for the GIS system and $8,340 for the digital mapping services. The system enables the village to obtain computer modeling, which will have input from the village staff.

Ohio Senate Bill 2 requires all municipalities in Ohio to have an asset management system. The GIS system is the first step and a significant part of fulfilling that requirement.

The next step in this process is to purchase a software license for one user, costing $1,500. The software will enable village employees to update and add details to the village water and sewer system.

Further applications of the software will allow for street maintenance and zoning updating.