How Fast-Growing Counties Manage Parcel Mapping · How Fast-Growing Counties Manage Parcel Mapping Reducing the Costs of GIS Data Entry ESRI Survey Summit San Diego, California USA

© JoeHanousek, 2004

How Fast-Growing Counties Manage Parcel Mapping

Reducing the Costs of GIS Data EntryESRI Survey Summit

San Diego, California USAAugust 8, 2004

Joe HanousekUCLID Software

Madison, Wisconsin



Why is this important?

“Data conversion costs can account for up to 90% of the total project budget.” Hohl, Pat. GIS Data Conversion. Santa Fe, NM: OnWard Press

“Data Conversion cost can account for 80% of GIS/CIS project budgets” Spatial Data Market Report, GeoMarkets International



Drawing Environments• CAD• GIS



Sources of GIS Data

1. Field– Data Collectors– Handheld devices– Tablet PC’s

2. Electronic– CAD Drawings– Databases– Aerial/Satellite

imagery– Other Data files…



Sources of GIS Data

3. Paper Documents (Images, Text files, or old fashioned paper)– Property Descriptions

& Deeds– Field Cards– Reports– Maps & Plans



Creating GIS Data from Paper Documents

1. Features– Parcels– Easements– Right-of-Ways– Alignments



Creating GIS Data from Paper Documents

2. Attributes– Could be anything!



Methods1. Features

– Rasterization • Not accurate

– ArcScan– Hitachi Image Series

– Digitizing• Not accurate

– Tablet– Mouse-like device

– Keyboard Entry• Slow

– Tools for speeding up this time consuming data entry process

This Graphic used with permission courtesy of ESRI



Methods

2. Attributes– Import from another data

source / database– Only enter small amounts

of data• Can’t query data that isn’t

there• Not the full picture

– Keyboard Entry• Slow



Tools for Speeding UpKeyboard Entry

• Outsource ! Offshore• Automation Tools

– Drawing Tools– OCR Tools

• Not going to work on everything!

• Structured vs. Unstructured

– GIS data is typically unstructured!

» Text Files» Images» Paper



OCR Tools - How it Works• Start with a document

– Paper– Scanned Image

• Legal Description• Survey Map



Go from scan to GIS feature.Go from scan to GIS feature.

OCR Tools - How it Works



Go from Go from scan, to database.scan, to database.

OCR ToolsHow it Works



OCR Tools, are they Utopia?

+ Fast • 40% to 700% efficiency

gain. Average is 84%• Higher % if documents

already of high quality scans

+ Cost-Effective• Productivity gains quickly

pay for software costs (weeks)

+ Accurate• As the surveys themselves• Stores the original survey

attributes in GIS

+ Accountabilty – You bet!• Links source document to

parcel

– Limitations• Only as good as source

documents• It can’t read bad

handwriting• Will not work on 100% of

documents



OCR Based GIS Data Entry Tools

• Drawing Features– ArcMap Extension– Traverse Window

• Creating Attributes– Attribute Window



Choose the Right Tool

– Document quality is critical factor

– COGO tools• Shortcut keys• Fewest possible

keystrokes

– OCR tools• Built to look for

Bearings & Distances• Legals• Maps• Any metes & bounds



What to Look For

• Creates and Edits Features & Attrtibutesin ArcGIS– COGO– MCR

• Legal Descriptions• Maps• Text Files

– Stores Measurements as Feature Attributes



How Should it Work?

• Built to look for Angles & Distances– Legals– Maps– Any metes & bounds

• Point n’ Click COGO• Mathematical Content

Recognition



Other Data Entry Options?

• Pen Scanners• Speech• Adding measurement

attributes directly into Survey Analyst tables



Real World Examples



Summit County

• 15th fastest growing county in U.S.

• Paper to GIS– Previously used COGO for

subdivision boundaries– Digitized lot lines

• Full time job for 1 of only 4 staff members



• Using OCR for features– Scans from Recorder’s Office– Document linking to feature– Digitized parcels were not

accurate enough to be used by 9 other agencies that access GIS

• Results - Better– “Twice as fast as before”– Dedicating resources to

developing GIS applications instead of data creation.

Summit County



Forsyth County

• Fastest growing county in U.S. for 3 years

• 51,000 parcels prior to 2002

• Additional 16,000 parcels created in 2002

• Permit processing bottleneck



Forsyth County

• Needed to speed up permitting process on developing parcels– Public access workstation

• Building permits• Inspections

• 6-8 months behind– Subdivisions were built before

entered into GIS!• Results - Best

– 50 to 500 parcels per week– 24 hour turnaround time



Conclusions

• Productivity gains with automated mapping can not be ignored

• This technology needs to be applied to your specific workflow processes to be most effective



OCR Tools for Parcel Creation in GIS



Bottom Line



Contact info

Presenter:

Joe HanousekUCLID Softwarewww.uclid.comMadison, WisconsinPhone: 608-664-0570

E-mail: [email protected]

• http://www.uclid.com/parcelmapping/index.php

Some Graphics in this presentation provided by ESRI. Used with permission.