Miami-Dade County started using a GIS in 1986. The implementation was coordinated by the Technology Department and funded through seed money from several departments. Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) ArcInfo software on a VAX/VMS platform was selected and installed. The street network was the first basemap layer, upon which many other layers were developed. The first production application implemented was the Crime Analysis System for the Miami-Dade Police Department. The benefit of the GIS was proven in just a couple of years, after which time, a joint project was undertaken with Florida, Power & Light to develop a parcel basemap. The layers developed under this project provided an essential level of detail for many County departments. This project was completed in 1993.

In 1998, the Technology Department in conjunction with other departments reached a consensus to acquire digital orthorectified photographs with updates for the existing planimetric layers. At the end of 1999, Digital Orthophotography for 926 square miles was added as another layer to the GIS. The Orthophotography and planimetric layers are updated every two years.

As the County's GIS grows, so does its infrastructure. Currently we maintain fully redundant ArcSDE servers for various platforms, including development, Internet, Intranet and CITRIX. Additionally, we maintain separate and secure infrastructures in support of the County’s 911 and 311.