Welcome to the Kern County GIS Task Force!

GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems, a technology used to view and analyze our world from a visual perspective.

The Kern County GIS Task Force was formed in 2006 by the Kern County Network for Children (KCNC) to plan and implement a coordinated effort to regularly analyze the social conditions in Kern County using Geographic Information Systems. As partners, agency representatives from the GIS Task Force assist the KCNC Governing Board in making integrated, data-driven decisions benefitting the health and well being of children and their families through:

  • Dissemination of data and data products
  • Education and outreach
  • Adoption of standards
  • Building partnerships

Please join us for bi-monthly GIS Task Force meetings hosted by the Kern County Network for Children! The Group offers skill building, networking and technical support to its members. During each meeting we will showcase a family service agency or organization currently using GIS tools in their program planning and decision making. We will discuss on-going issues and tools (access to data,confidentiality, beginning GIS work, etc.) and understand and explore GIS service possibilities for Kern County.

The Task Force includes members from the public and private sectors, and include Public Health, DHS, Environmental Health, KernCog, County of Kern, KCSOS, United Way of Kern, CAPK, Clinica Sierra Vista, Asthma Coalition, Mercy Hospital, KHSD and Quad Knopf. The diversity of our members' backgrounds contributes to group’s creativity, innovation and knowledge base.

What's New

  • Obesity and chronic disease rates increasing among all populations and ages. Our current group project takes a look at how environmental and demographic relationships influence community health from a multi-agency perspective. Members see value in mapping access to food as a useful tool for their individuals agencies to improve service delivery, reduce duplication of services and extend prevention efforts. Subcommittees are being formed in December to develop individual map products to directly benefit programs countwide.
  • Online Mapping Tool for crime and demographics related to at-risk youth: SMART System

    Meeting Location

    Community Connection for Child Care
    2000 24th Street
    Bakersfield, CA

    2009 Meeting Schedule

    Wednesday, December 16, 2009 *Location change - Community Connection for Child Care, Room B
    2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

    GIS Recommended Websites & Readings

  • County maps and community level data are now available on foster care and child abuse at the California Department of Social Services/UC Berkeley website.
  • Central Cal URISA
  • Using GIS to Better Serve Children
  • The California Spatial Information Library
  • GIS Lounge
  • California Nutrition Network (CNN) - GIS Map Viewer Nutrition and other health related data, including CNN Nutrition grantees
  • Peabody’s Census Information Page


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