Cook County Bureau of Technology Launches “Cook Central” Map Hub

Cook County today unveiled “Cook Central” – a mapping and geographic data hub for sharing information with the public. Cook Central is a one-stop shop for the County’s Department of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Cook Central was unveiled today at Cook County’s GIS Day celebration. “When people think about maps they’re usually focused on getting from point A to point B,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “GIS Day is a reminder that mapping can help us get to point B in many more ways than providing driving directions.” 

“For example, at Cook County we use GIS mapping applications such as Connect to Cook to provide business owners, residents and entrepreneurs with free access to critical information to help them open a business or relocate to Cook County.”

Available data include map layers such as transportation infrastructure, recreation, housing, business and manufacturing locations. The Connect to Cook app can help entrepreneurs determine customer communities, display potential competitor locations and analyze the population within a specific drive-time or distance.

Many other interactive maps are available on Cook Central. The new hub is also home to GIS open data.

Digital tool developers can also use it to build their own maps and applications at no charge. In 2014, Preckwinkle and County Commissioners eliminated charges for County GIS data.

To learn more about Cook Central and see the new application, visit: cookcountyil.gov/CookCentral

For more information about the Cook County GIS program, visit: cookcountyil.gov/gis