|
Logan County GIS: New information system puts volumes of local
information at your fingertips
Send a link to a friend
[November 23, 2010]
It's a map. It's an information
resource. It provides immeasurable practical uses for county offices
such as the assessor's office, highway department, emergency
management, health department and numerous other county, city and
township officials. It has many valuable features that can serve the
public. It shows roads, addresses and driveways. You can see
structures and features, including waterways and ponds, from an
aerial perspective. With the click of a button, you can see
separation of city, township or county jurisdictions for roadways or
services. It shows the location of wind turbines. It details soil
type. It's a survey tool -- you can measure miles or the square
footage of any specific area on a property. You can look up who owns
a property and so much more.
|
 What is it?
It's the Logan County Geographic Information System.
Logan County's GIS first became available to the public in the
spring. It has continued to grow and now has various mapping layers
that can be viewed on the Logan County website at
http://www.centralilmaps.com/LoganGIS/.
Logan County's GIS committee celebrated Geography Awareness Week
with an open house at the Logan County Courthouse on Nov. 18. GIS
committee members Will D'Andrea, Bret Aukamp and Hannah Ernst were
on hand to demonstrate the Internet-based mapping site and other
software.
How was the GIS formed?
A geographic information system's base is a digital map to which
a limitless number of geographic-related information layers can be
added over the top. The layers are typically comprised of a database
with a spatial reference, and they can be turned on or off.
In short, the system attaches the "what" of a database to the
"where" of a map. Imagine being able to click on any feature of a
map to learn more about it.
Currently, you'll find addresses, lot dimensions, land features
and much more available for use in the Logan County GIS.
A GIS system can be a useful tool for everyone from the casual
user to the highly trained professional. The system will allow
people to investigate any area of the county simply by clicking
their computer mouse.
Why and how did the county develop its GIS?
The state of Illinois required all counties to establish new
digitized maps that would provide more accuracy for land-use
assessments. The state required compliance with Bulletin 810, with
its focus on assessing farmland, by the end of 2006.
Logan County's GIS began to take shape with a grant from the
Illinois Department of Transportation. The grant money was directed
through the county highway department and used to purchase aerial
photography, performed in the spring of 2004, and other data. The
photography has become a base layer of the GIS.
Logan County then worked with a specialized company from northern
Illinois to develop the parcel-mapping layer. Every land parcel
within Logan County was drawn accurately and fits over the base
aerial photomap.
The parcel mapping enables the assessor's office to assess
property with more accuracy.
Combined with the new digital soils layer, the farmland can now
be assessed based on soil productivity, using the number of acres of
each soil type. This can all be calculated electronically.
The parcel map can be overlaid with the aerial photography layer
and the roadway centerline layer to pinpoint health hazards, show
properties for sale, highlight vehicle accident locations or assist
emergency response teams in planning a route.
The future of Logan County GIS
Logan County is continuing to develop more layers, including
municipal boundaries, voting districts, enterprise zones, zoning
districts, school districts and flood plain maps. The new layers are
expected to be available at the beginning of the new year.
Also, topography maps developed by the U.S. Geological Service
offer 5-foot contours. One-foot contours are in the future.
[to top of second column] |
Another change in the GIS development has been hiring the first
GIS coordinator. Will D'Andrea recently took over the duty from Bret
Aukamp, who had overseen the mapping process and base layers.
D'Andrea serves as the county's zoning officer, Logan County
Regional Planning Commission director and enterprise zone
coordinator.
A recording fee collected by the county clerk's office primarily
funds the GIS system.
The GIS committee is comprised of representatives from Lincoln,
Atlanta, Mount Pulaski, Emden, Logan County Board, various elected
or appointed Logan County officials, Logan County Emergency
Management Agency, Logan County Regional Planning Commission,
Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership, and the
Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The GIS committee is an advisory committee for the county board,
which is accountable for the GIS fund.
[News release and LDN]
Recent article
Past related articles
the property tax
system)
Ins and outs of the Logan County property
tax system
GIS: How new tools and formulas assess farmland
Local officials view Logan County GIS
parcel mapping plans
Logan County GIS is now available over the
Internet
Explore your world ... locally
Logan County tax assessments
The largest technological advance in the
history of Logan County is about to go public
GIS progressing
New aerial digital photograph maps completed
Economic development ball rolling
Other related information
For more information
on Illinois soils and crop productivity, see the following:
Logan County Unit, University of Illinois
Extension, Agriculture & Natural Resources
Down on the left side is a link to the digital GIS soil survey.
Near the very bottom of the list is a link for soil productivity
indexes for B810 and B811. The 810 is average management used in
the tax assessments, while the 811 is with optimum conditions
and management and is used more for rental rates and
classifications.
Bulletin 810: Average Crop, Pasture, and
Forestry Productivity Ratings for Illinois Soils
(PDF)
 |
