The project began after cemetery staff experienced ongoing issues with the city’s previous records system, which was slow, prone to errors and lacked reliable mapping functionality. Staff continued maintaining paper records and historical maps to ensure information remained accurate.
In late 2024, the city’s MIS Department selected ESRI’s Cemetery Management Solution to modernize cemetery operations and improve public access to records.
“Our goal was to build a system that was more accurate, more reliable, and easier for both staff and residents to use,” said Chief Information Officer Adele Edwards. “The interactive map allows visitors to search records and navigate the cemeteries directly from their phone, which is a major improvement over the previous process.”
Over the course of more than a year, the city’s GIS team created more than 77,000 gravesites in GIS using CAD drawings and mapping tools while also transferring burial and ownership records into the new system.
The project required extensive collaboration with cemetery staff, including Crystal Weime and Jacob Burchyett, who used paper drawings, burial records and hand-drawn maps to help verify historical data.
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cityofracinewi.gov
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