GIS Keeps Boone County ‘On the Map’

Much like big mapping companies such as Google and Bing that help you view the world from the comfort of your chair, or Garmin that keeps you heading in the right direction while on the road or in the field, the Boone County government has invested in its mapping system to not only work more efficiently and save money but also to speed up government so we can be more responsive to the needs of our citizens. The county now has a growing number of mapping resources, many available to the public free of charge, with accuracy and quality not matched by the big guys.
The Boone County Geographic Information System Department, within the county’s Information Technology Department, was created in 2001 and has a mission of maintaining a high quality, uniform standard of geographic information across all Boone County departments and offices and disseminating professional services and decision-making support systems through robust and innovative geographic information system applications. What this all means is that both Boone County staff and the general public can easily access purpose-built mapping applications that provide the information they need when and where they need it. Digital copies of the map layers can also be purchased for a nominal fee for users who have their own GIS software.
Highly Accurate Maps
Because we are able to focus on the 685 square miles of ground within Boone County, the GIS Department is well-suited for developing highly accurate mapping available to our users. A recent example of this is the elevation-mapping project for the Assessor’s Office, for which nearly 1.5 billion elevations were mapped using light technology, ranging at a vertical accuracy of about 7 inches. This data, in addition to new water body features, building footprints and 2-foot contour lines, was used to develop the recently released “Terrain” view feature in the assessor’s publicly available Parcel Information Viewer. This free viewer is by far the county’s most popular map viewer with more than 12.5 million maps available to users since it was first released in February 2004.
The GIS Department has developed several other popular viewers that are available on the county’s website. The sheriff’s reported incident and registered offender information viewers allow users to search and view crimes and incidents reported to the Boone County Sheriff’s Department (dating back to 2004). The Office of Emergency Management’s Road Closure application allows users to see current road closures and flooding reported to Public Safety Joint Communications. For example, users can now see the estimated Missouri River flood level superimposed over the map. The County Clerk’s voter information viewers provide polling locations, precinct level voting information and voting results by contest. Resource Management’s floodplain, zoning information and road directory applications are great resources for those looking to buy or develop land in Boone County.

Reporting Stormwater Issues

The general public can also report county road and stormwater issues by visiting the Public Works Department website. To do so, locate the appropriate reporting application, zoom in and pinpoint the issue’s location, fill out the report form, and click “send.” The report is automatically routed to the appropriate staff for review and corrective action if needed. For a full listing of available applications, point your browser to showmeboone.com/GIS.
In addition to the publicly available viewer, the GIS Department also supports internal staff with mapping applications for a wide range of tasks including: permit and zoning tracking; working group collaboration for project planning; Public Works asset management including easements, maintenance agreements, signs, culverts and pavement inventory/inspections; appraisal and land valuation; voter registration re-precincting; addressing, event planning, viewing current/ historic tax parcel maps; and public safety/disaster response.
In the coming months, in addition to new elevation data, improved section corner control data will be used to further improve the overall accuracy of the GIS map layers, and new leaf-off 2011 digital orthorectified color aerial photos will be released to replace the current photos that were taken in 2007. The GIS Department is also assisting the Assessor’s Office in developing an in-house ownership plat book that will be made available for purchase digitally in 2012.
All of this work has not gone unnoticed; in 2004 the GIS Department was selected to receive a Special Achievement Award in GIS at the ESRI International User Conference, and in 2009 Boone County’s Road Closures GIS application was selected as a winner in the government-to-government category in an annual study by the Center for Digital Government. Later this month, the mapping applications developed by Boone County will be featured regionally as part of ESRI’s nationwide “Extend the Reach of Your GIS” seminars.
For more information about the GIS Department, available viewers and the map layers available for purchase, please visit showmeboone.com/GIS or call (573) 886-4325.