Technologies formerly available only to specialty occupations or to folks privileged enough to afford them are increasingly accessible to the masses- meaning landowners, foresters, farmers, loggers, interest groups, etc. Among the most intriguing of these is online mapping technology, often referred to as 'GIS,' meaning Geographic Information System, which takes a variety of forms depending on the local body (usually local government) that hosts the information.
Near NWOA's headquarters, for example, many counties allow taxpayers to make their own maps online for free. By choosing and stacking visual layers on top of each other, users create specific and customized pictures of features they deem necessary, and choices often include aerial photography, property boundary lines, area zoning, water features like creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes, mandated buffer zones, and many others commonly offered.
These custom maps allow landowners to observe changes in local landscapes over time, determine whether their activities might produce impacts outside of their own boundaries, plan for buffer space along their slice of a watershed, or even evaluate the effects a neighbor's activities might have on adjacent properties. The list of useful features is vast enough to discourage us from providing a complete accounting here.
So how do you find such a great resource? First, try searching for your local town, county or state government website and look for any links that say "maps" or "mapper," "GIS," "land- use," "online data," "cartography," or "property search." These are good starting points and if they don't yield immediate results, be patient and give the town or county a call. Some municipalities make their online map products obvious and easy to find, and others have them partially buried within a revenue or land planning office website. If your local government hasn't yet made the move to online mapping, lobby your officials to make the changes necessary to allow it. The information is worth it to you as a landowner, and you have a right to easily access it.
Near NWOA's headquarters, for example, many counties allow taxpayers to make their own maps online for free. By choosing and stacking visual layers on top of each other, users create specific and customized pictures of features they deem necessary, and choices often include aerial photography, property boundary lines, area zoning, water features like creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes, mandated buffer zones, and many others commonly offered.
These custom maps allow landowners to observe changes in local landscapes over time, determine whether their activities might produce impacts outside of their own boundaries, plan for buffer space along their slice of a watershed, or even evaluate the effects a neighbor's activities might have on adjacent properties. The list of useful features is vast enough to discourage us from providing a complete accounting here.
So how do you find such a great resource? First, try searching for your local town, county or state government website and look for any links that say "maps" or "mapper," "GIS," "land- use," "online data," "cartography," or "property search." These are good starting points and if they don't yield immediate results, be patient and give the town or county a call. Some municipalities make their online map products obvious and easy to find, and others have them partially buried within a revenue or land planning office website. If your local government hasn't yet made the move to online mapping, lobby your officials to make the changes necessary to allow it. The information is worth it to you as a landowner, and you have a right to easily access it.
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