Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA)

What Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) does

The Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) is a Council of Governments (COG) and federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) serving the bi-state Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area across six counties and 40+ municipalities in Nebraska and Iowa. Founded in 1967 and headquartered at 2222 Cuming Street in Omaha, MAPA convenes city and county governments to coordinate regional planning across transportation, environmental, economic development, housing, and community assistance functions. Governance is provided by a Board of Directors, a Council of Officials, and technical advisory committees (TTAC, RPAC), with Executive Director Mike Helgerson leading a staff of 11-50.

MAPA's portfolio includes a GOHub Open Data portal aggregating demographics, traffic projections, permit data, performance measures, and development reports; transportation planning products such as the TRIPS project prioritization framework (USDOT-funded at $2M) and the Safe Streets for All Comprehensive Safety Action Plan; environmental programs including the Little Steps Cleaner Air ozone initiative, Brownfields assessment (EPA-funded $835K), and Integrated Solid Waste Management; economic development tools such as the Nebraska Broadband Speed Test, CEDS, Iowa Resilience Toolkit, and the MAPA/NEF EDA Revolving Loan Fund for COVID-19 business recovery; and community programs including Metro! Rideshare and grant administration for the Pottawattamie County Housing Trust Fund ($479K disbursed in 2026 to eight sub-recipient nonprofits). Heartland 2050 anchors long-range regional visioning.

As a public agency, MAPA does not sell commercial products or services and operates without disclosed pricing. Operating funds derive from federal grants (USDOT, EPA, EDA, Safe Streets for All), state pass-throughs, member government dues, and administered program revenue. There are no proprietary software products sold externally, and revenue figures are not disclosed. The business model is fundamentally regulatory and stewardship-based: MAPA earns its mandate through designation as the region's MPO and sustains it through member participation and federal grant capture.

Name

Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA)

Legal name

Metropolitan Area Planning Agency

Website

https://mapacog.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MAPA is the federally designated Council of Governments and Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Omaha-Council Bluffs bi-state region, coordinating transportation, environmental, economic development, and housing planning across six counties and 40+ municipalities in Nebraska and Iowa through federal grants and member dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Planning Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370), Landscape Architectural Services (54132)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Infrastructure Planning, Capital Programs & Project Delivery Offices (PMOs) (BPAIALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

State/Provincial Transportation, Roads & Public Works Administration (BPAIABAK), Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE), Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Regional transportation planning
• Metropolitan planning organization
• Government grant administration
• Community development services
• Environmental planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

MAPA is a Council of Governments (COG) and Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) that provides regional planning, coordination, and grant administration services for the Omaha-Council Bluffs bi-state metropolitan area. It does not sell commercial products; its core offerings are public-sector services in transportation planning, environmental and air quality planning, economic development, housing grant administration, and community assistance, supplemented by regional data, maps, and reports available through the GOHub Open Data portal. These services are delivered directly to member county and municipal governments, nonprofits, and first-responder agencies, funded by federal grants and member dues.

Product overview

The Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) is a Council of Governments that provides regional planning services for the Omaha-Council Bluffs bi-state metropolitan area. MAPA offers a portfolio of interconnected services organized into five main categories: Community Assistance (including Metro! Rideshare, Grant Assistance, and Community Services), Transportation (Planning, Studies & Reports, Grants & Programs, and Training), Economic Development (Broadband Speed Test, CEDS, Iowa Resilience Toolkit, and the MAPA/NEF EDA Revolving Loan Fund), Environmental (Plans and Projects, Ozone and Air Quality with the Little Steps. Cleaner Air. program, and Waste Management), and Data & Maps (GOHub Open Data portal, 2050 Traffic Projections, Metro Area Bike Map, Performance Measures, and Drone Services). The agency also leads major initiatives including Heartland 2050 for long-range regional visioning, the Safe Streets for All comprehensive safety plan, TRIPS for transportation project prioritization, and the Pottawattamie County Housing Trust Fund. MAPA does not offer a commercial product but rather provides public planning services, data tools, and grant administration to local governments and organizations across the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Heartland 2050: Regional planning initiative focused on long-term development and quality of life improvements for the Omaha-Council Bluffs region.
• Metro! Rideshare
• Little Steps. Cleaner Air.
• GOHub Open Data

Products and services

• Regional Transportation Planning Services Long-range and short-range transportation planning, studies and reports, grant and program administration, and committee support (TTAC, RPAC, CTC) for the Omaha-Council Bluffs region.
• Safe Streets for All Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (CSAP) Regional traffic safety action plan covering Douglas and Sarpy counties and Iowa cities of Council Bluffs, Carter Lake, Crescent, and McClelland, aimed at reducing traffic fatalities and serious injuries to zero by 2040, including post-crash care trials and fire department coordination.
• TRIPS - Transformative Regional Investment Prioritization System USDOT Prioritization Process Pilot Program-funded project to develop a publicly accessible, transparent prioritization process for ranking and selection of transportation projects in short- and long-range transportation plans, awarded $2 million in 2024.
• Pottawattamie County Housing Trust Fund Administration Grant administration service for the Pottawattamie County Housing Trust Fund, distributing grants to nonprofits for housing rehabilitation, accessibility improvements, rental assistance, and emergency shelter operations serving low to moderate-income residents.
• MAPA/NEF EDA Revolving Loan Fund COVID-19 recovery revolving loan fund partnership between MAPA and the Nebraska Enterprise Fund, supporting small and micro-businesses with start-up and expansion capital.
• Heartland 2050 Regional Vision Initiative Long-range regional vision and planning initiative focused on long-term development and quality-of-life improvements for the Omaha-Council Bluffs bi-state region.
• Metro! Rideshare Carpooling and rideshare program connecting commuters in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area.
• South Omaha Brownfields Coalition Project EPA-funded brownfields assessment project in South Omaha including 17 Phase I and 11 Phase II environmental site assessments, awarded $835,000 by the U.S. EPA.
• Drone Aerial Mapping and Surveying Services Aerial mapping and surveying services using drone technology to support regional planning initiatives.
• GOHub Open Data Portal Self-serve open data platform providing public access to regional maps, demographics, traffic projections, performance measures, permit data, and development reports for the MAPA region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37% reduction in mortality with pre-hospital blood transfusions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Partnership with NDOT on the TRIPS project ($2M USDOT award) to develop a collaborative prioritization process for ranking and selection of transportation projects. This brings a revolutionary decision-making model to Nebraska's largest transportation planning organizations.
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024FHWA is the funding body for the $2M Prioritization Process Pilot Program award that MAPA received for TRIPS. They are working with MAPA and NDOT to prepare for project initiation.
• Nebraska Enterprise Fund (NEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between MAPA and NEF for the EDA Revolving Loan Fund, specifically supporting small and micro-business recovery and resiliency related to COVID-19. Provides funding for locally owned start-up businesses and existing businesses seeking to expand.
• Pottawattamie County Housing Trust FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMAPA serves as grant administrator for Pottawattamie County Housing Trust Fund, providing staff services including annual housing assistance plans, grant applications, project and fiscal management, and compliance with Iowa Finance Authority requirements.
• Iowa Finance AuthorityminorOthersIowa Finance Authority provides requirements that MAPA must ensure compliance with when administering Pottawattamie County Housing Trust Fund grants.
• Bennington Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four fire departments participating in trial to improve post-crash care capabilities through the Safe Streets for All program, testing rapid extrication, vehicle stabilization, and pre-hospital blood transfusions.
• Waterloo Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating in trial to improve post-crash care capabilities through Safe Streets for All program.
• Gretna Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating in trial to improve post-crash care capabilities through Safe Streets for All program.
• Council Bluffs Fire DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating in trial to improve post-crash care capabilities through Safe Streets for All program.
• Iowa State University ExtensionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerISU Extension leads the R-STEP (Reliable Energy Siting through Technical Engagement and Planning) project, a DOE-funded initiative including toolkits and strategies to support local government decision-making in Iowa.
• Offutt Air Force BaseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Military Installation Resilience Review (MIRR) initiative for comprehensive review of natural and man-made threats and vulnerabilities impacting the base and surrounding communities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG): SACOG is the MPO and COG for the greater Sacramento region, offering a directly comparable portfolio of transportation planning, housing, environmental, and economic development programs that overlap with MAPA's mandate in structure, scale, and federal funding mix.
• Mid-America Regional Council (MARC): MARC serves as the MPO and COG for the Kansas City bi-state region, providing transportation planning, environmental services, and community programs. Its bi-state structure mirrors MAPA's Omaha-Council Bluffs model across Missouri and Kansas.
• Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG): DRCOG is the MPO and COG for the Denver region, delivering transportation, environmental, and community development services through similar federal-grant funding models, with data tools and performance dashboards that parallel MAPA's GOHub offerings.
• Bi-State Regional Commission: Bi-State Regional Commission is the Quad Cities' regional planning agency straddling the Iowa-Illinois border, with a comparable smaller-scale regional planning mandate and federal-funding reliance similar to MAPA.
• East-West Gateway Council of Governments: East-West Gateway is the MPO for the St. Louis bi-state region (Missouri and Illinois), with transportation, environmental, and community planning programs structured nearly identically to MAPA. Particularly relevant given its analogous bi-state configuration.

Broad incumbents

• Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG): SEMCOG is one of the larger multi-county MPOs in the U.S., providing a wide range of regional planning and data services analogous to MAPA's full portfolio but at materially greater scale.

Others

• Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO): AMPO is the trade association for U.S. MPOs and provides peer benchmarking, training, and federal advocacy directly relevant to a designated MPO like MAPA.
• National Association of Regional Councils (NARC): NARC is the trade association representing COGs and MPOs nationwide (including MAPA). It is not a competitor but a peer ecosystem body whose programming, advocacy, and convenings shape the operating environment MAPA operates in.

Regional players

• Lincoln Metropolitan Planning Organization (City of Lincoln): Lincoln MPO is the Nebraska MPO for the Lincoln area and a fellow transportation planning entity within the same state as MAPA, sharing state DOT relationships, federal funding streams, and planning practices.
• Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization: DMAMPO is an Iowa MPO that performs similar metropolitan transportation planning in a comparable Midwestern region; operates within the same state as MAPA's Iowa counties (Pottawattamie/Mills), making it a natural regional comparator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mapacog
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MAPA2222
• Facebookfacebook.com/MAPA2222
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metropolitan-area-planning-agency
• Instagraminstagram.com/mapa_cog

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA)