By the Business Facilities Staff
From the May/June 2015 issue
BF: The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) and the Economic Development Corporation of Utah (EDCUTAH) recently launched an interactive map called locate.utah.gov that showcases high-speed broadband and infrastructure in Utah. What kind of information does it provide?
VH: Locate.utah.gov can be a key tool in helping businesses find the critical infrastructure information they need to make site selection decisions. The tool allows users to explore the state’s broadband availability, utility information, transportation, infrastructure, workforce and lifestyle features. It also allows developers to evaluate potential locations and print customized reports with detailed summaries of available infrastructure. It’s a companion site to EDCUtah’s utahsuresites.com.
BF: How will this site assist economic developers and businesses?
VH: Locate.utah.gov is another way we are assisting businesses that are interested in relocating to Utah. Our team is continually developing strategies to simplify the site selection process as we invite new businesses into the state.
BF: Has Utah been able to establish a leadership position in high-speed broadband?
VH: Our infrastructure is top notch. Utah has the sixth fastest average Internet speeds in the country and the fastest speeds in the Western U.S.
BF: The new site was developed by the Utah Broadband Outreach Center. What is the core mission of the center?
VH: The Outreach Center’s core mission is to promote the availability and use of broadband statewide. The center has worked with more than 50 broadband providers that supply premium services for all types of businesses in both urban and rural areas. The Outreach Center is a state program focused on mapping available broadband services and promoting the development of additional infrastructure in Utah. The center maintains Utah’s interactive residential broadband availability map at broadband.utah.gov/map and the new commercial broadband economic development map at locate.utah.gov. The center is located in the GOED and mapping services are provided by the Automated Geographic Reference Center.
BF: What can users find exploring the new interactive map?
VH: We’re providing infrastructure information useful to businesses as they analyze site selection factors. For example, users can see the natural gas footprint, service areas for electricity, and responsible utility providers, distances to airports, major roads, and rail lines for any area of the state. Click on any point on the map and it will generate a summary for that point. Click on an address and the tool will display a customized report with a full referral of all of the services and amenities available at that location.
