For centuries, cemeteries have relied on traditional bookkeeping methods and manual record-keeping to manage burial plots, store information, and address the needs of families. In recent years, thanks to technological advancements and the rise of digital platforms, the cemetery service industry has undergone a remarkable transformation.

Recognizing the limitations of traditional cemetery management practices, countless cemeteries have now embraced new digital solutions and mapping technologies, like CIMS, to revolutionize their data storage. Drone mapping, one of these new and impressive developments, has opened up a world of possibilities for cemetery management, providing comprehensive visual data that was previously unattainable.

After more than twenty years working with cemeteries to simplify record-keeping and streamline everyday tasks, our mapping experts have successfully transferred data to CIMS from a wide range of maps. From a cemetery office nearly losing paper records in Hurricane Katrina, to centuries-old hand-drawn maps and incomplete digital records, our team has seen it all. No matter what your situation is, hope is not lost! We will meet you where you’re at and work with your team to take your cemetery maps and records to the next level. If your records are not helping your staff run the cemetery smoothly, or you don’t know where to begin embarking on your journey to clean up your maps, this blog outlines a few tips to help you get started.

We are excited to announce the addition of a new member to the CIMS team, Sarah Wilding, who joined us as a GIS Analyst at the end of 2022. Sarah brings a unique set of skills and expertise to our team, which we are confident will translate into an even better experience for our customers.

Keeping software up to date is important for retaining functionality and improving the user experience. The CIMS team is dedicated to developing cemetery management solutions designed to meet the challenges faced by modern cemeteries, backed by the latest technologies. That’s why we’ve rewritten the entire CIMS code base — over 1.2 million lines of code! This new update addresses several pain points and introduces a few new functions, all while retaining the cemetery management features our customers know and love. In addition, this update will make it easier for us to continue to improve the software in the future. All clients were migrated to the new version on December 12th.

Using a combination of paper maps, various records, and aging logbooks can make daily cemetery tasks feel more like a never-ending maze than, well, routine operations.

You empty every cabinet, trying to find lost files.

You pour over competing records, hoping to determine which is correct.

Maybe you even curse whomever kept the cemetery’s books 100 years ago.

Every so often, unfortunate cemetery errors make the news. While these mistakes aren’t common, the headlines cause a stir in local communities and across the deathcare industry.

Grieving family shocked to find someone else buried at their gravesite.

Burials exhumed after cemetery mistake.

Cemetery sells same plots to multiple families.

These situations are traumatic for everyone involved. Families are distraught. Communities are outraged. Cemeteries search for answers.

Cemetery managers wear a lot of hats.

One day cemetery maintenance takes priority. The next: comforting grieving families.

Through it all, one task never changes. Cemetery managers are always responsible for keeping valuable cemetery information safe and secure. They protect historical deeds, contracts, and records. They preserve financial and personal documents. And of course, they maintain what is arguably the most important cemetery document: the cemetery map.

Decades-old paper maps. Detailed spreadsheets. Interactive online cemetery maps.