Liberty County mapping supervisor Scott Wall and mapping technician Jay Johnson attended the annual Southeast Region Users Group conference in Jacksonville, thinking they would share their knowledge with peers and learn more about how geographic information systems could benefit Liberty County and its residents.
They brought home more than just knowledge as the county representatives returned with a People’s Choice Award for their submitted creation.
The duo had drawn up a map using Environmental Systems Research Institute’s Arc Map GIS software. Wall and Johnson submitted their “The Liberty County Tax Map Index” to be included in the three-day conference, which allows professionals to present case studies, provides a forum for vendors to showcase new GIS products and gives users the opportunity to attend technical seminars.
The conference gallery showcased dozens of maps from other GIS professionals and users. Conference attendees were then given the chance to vote on which map they liked the best.
On the final day of the conference the duo received the news they had taken the prize.
“We were definitely not expecting it,” Johnson said about the award. “We were surprised when we heard.”
Wall said the conference room was being prepared for a luncheon so Johnson had gone to retrieve the map from the display area when someone nudged him and said they had won the award.
“So I put the map back,” Johnson said.
The map allows customers in the assessors’ office to quickly identify the tax map on which the parcels of interest are located.
Wall said their map took more than 100 hours to put together.
“This map has probably 20 different layers in it,” Wall said. “One of them being the aerial shots, next being the parcel layers, next the road center line layers, the city layers, Fort Stewart layers, layers upon layers and also a grid index.”
Johnson said the hard part of putting the map together was maintaining the layers and making sure they are accurate according to plats.
“As far as the taxpayers go they can come in here and get a visual representation of what their property looks like from the sky,” Wall said. “Also they can look at the parcel layers to see where their property lines are at and how they relate to the surrounding parcels. As for the county it helps to see what services are provided by who and where. It helps 911, fire services, sheriff’s department, commission districts, voting districts, etc.”
The map and award will soon be on display at the county tax assessor’s wall.
They brought home more than just knowledge as the county representatives returned with a People’s Choice Award for their submitted creation.
The duo had drawn up a map using Environmental Systems Research Institute’s Arc Map GIS software. Wall and Johnson submitted their “The Liberty County Tax Map Index” to be included in the three-day conference, which allows professionals to present case studies, provides a forum for vendors to showcase new GIS products and gives users the opportunity to attend technical seminars.
The conference gallery showcased dozens of maps from other GIS professionals and users. Conference attendees were then given the chance to vote on which map they liked the best.
On the final day of the conference the duo received the news they had taken the prize.
“We were definitely not expecting it,” Johnson said about the award. “We were surprised when we heard.”
Wall said the conference room was being prepared for a luncheon so Johnson had gone to retrieve the map from the display area when someone nudged him and said they had won the award.
“So I put the map back,” Johnson said.
The map allows customers in the assessors’ office to quickly identify the tax map on which the parcels of interest are located.
Wall said their map took more than 100 hours to put together.
“This map has probably 20 different layers in it,” Wall said. “One of them being the aerial shots, next being the parcel layers, next the road center line layers, the city layers, Fort Stewart layers, layers upon layers and also a grid index.”
Johnson said the hard part of putting the map together was maintaining the layers and making sure they are accurate according to plats.
“As far as the taxpayers go they can come in here and get a visual representation of what their property looks like from the sky,” Wall said. “Also they can look at the parcel layers to see where their property lines are at and how they relate to the surrounding parcels. As for the county it helps to see what services are provided by who and where. It helps 911, fire services, sheriff’s department, commission districts, voting districts, etc.”
The map and award will soon be on display at the county tax assessor’s wall.