Parcel Mapping

           On Tuesday there was a whole day (9 am- 4 pm) dedicated to PLSS and parcel mapping. PLSS stands for Public Land Survey System. We have discussed the PLSS in a few of my classes, GIS and conservation biology but only briefly. The main topic I sat in on was parcel mapping. Parcel mapping takes place at the county level and it is messy business. This is where monuments and “corners” are marked, coordinates recorded and then uploaded to some type of geospatial technology. The first speakers I listened to, Jason Poser and Frank Conkling discussed all the issues they experienced in Buffalo County with parcel mapping, some of which relate to our class.

First it’s important to have people educated in the system they are using. Parcel mappers in Buffalo County were not trained in CAD. This was probably the first thing that we learned in GIS I, not only do you need the software and data but you also need people and processes. There is no way to learn all of GIS on your own. Buffalo County switched over from CAD to parcel fabric. Jason Poser said it took 8 years to complete 40% of the county but only 3 years to complete 30% of the county once they switched over to parcel fabric.

The second important topic they talked about was accuracy. We are learning about this right now in GIS II. The county had no idea how accurate their data was! Accuracy is how close the observed value is to the actual value. Without accuracy the data no longer has integrity and at that point it has no use.

The third point they brought up was money. Counties need money for workers, technology and to obtain GIS licenses. Sometimes I think we students forget this because our university is fortunate enough to have the technology and professors needed for this field of study.

This was just one of many speakers I listened to on Tuesday, but they all had very similar points. Parcel mapping is messy business, people must be educated in this field, and it costs a lot of money. Organization and communication is a large aspect that could possibly improve the struggles of parcel mapping.