Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, October 24, 1995                   TAG: 9510240074
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD                                LENGTH: Medium

PLANNED 911 SYSTEM DAZZLES OFFICIALS

And Monday night, as the Bedford County Board of Supervisors got its first official look at the proposed software for its enhanced 911 system, everyone present seemed to reach a unanimous conclusion - it's some pretty high-tech stuff.

``It's not just going to help the Sheriff's Office,'' Sheriff Carl Wells said. ``Everybody who lives in the county will benefit and so will the county government - from fire to rescue, law enforcement, sewer, water, the commissioner of revenue, planning - it runs the whole gamut.''

Late next year, Bedford County should become the first Roanoke-area locality to have Geographic Information Systems. An offshoot of E-911, GIS gives people working at computer terminals access to detailed aerial maps, road maps, land deeds, tax information and much more.

For 911 dispatchers, that means being able to zoom in on an aerial map to look at the lay of the land, or get information about the property and its residents, such as whether someone is diabetic, or if dangerous chemicals are stored on a property.

The computer can also list surrounding homeowners and print out directions between locations. Initially, terminals will be for the use of employees in the Sheriff's Office, County Administrator's office, the Commissioner of Revenue's office and the Community Development department, among others. Eventually, it will be made available to the public for land-assessment records.

The board is expected to buy the software at its Nov. 14 meeting.