In 2022, we were thrilled to announce the release of our latest version of DorsetExplorer as a new open-source product called GIFramework Maps. This application has now been available for a few years, and we are eager to share more about its features and how it is already being used by others.

While there are other excellent options on the market, we believe GIFramework Maps offers a fantastic alternative for those who want to develop with .NET using C# while still utilizing open-source solutions. We hope you will explore how this application can support your current goals.

But that's not all! We are also excited to introduce two new open-source projects currently in development. The first is a tool designed to help councils manage countryside infrastructure (such as gates and stiles) and rights of way. Developed for Dorset Council, we are releasing the new version to assist others with similar tasks, in line with our policy to support open-source initiatives.

The second project focuses on flood reporting and has been a partnership project in the southwest of England for many years. It has always been our intention to eventually release the source code to share the lessons learned. We are pleased to demonstrate how we are evolving the project and releasing sections of it as part of our commitment to the local digital declaration.

Specifically point 5: “We will embed an open culture that values, incentivises and expects digital ways of working from every member of our workforce. This means working in the open wherever we can, sharing our plans and experience, working collaboratively with other organisations, and reusing good practice.”

We hope this talk will give you a chance to learn more about the work happening at Dorset Council and hopefully it will get you thinking about how you can get involved and collaborate with us.