GIS and land records: the ArcGIS parcel data model

GlWan d Record s

TheArcGIS* Parcel Data Mode l

A

ESRI PRESS

ESRI Press, 580 New York Street, Redlands. California 92373-8100

Copyright K 2004 ESRI

All rights reserved. First edition 2004

10 09 08 07 06 05 23456789 10

Printed in the United Slates of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Von Meyer, Nancy, 1954-

GIS and land records : Ihe ArcGIS parcel data model / Nancy von Meyer.

p. cm.

includes bibliographical references |p. |.

ISBN 1-58948 077 5 (pbk. : alk. paper!

1. Land use-L'niled Stales-Planning. 2. Geographic information systems. I. Tille

HD205.V66 2004

533.73'0285-dc22 2004009528

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Acknowledgment s

I wish to acknowledge the generous collaboration and support of the cadastral community in building,

testing, and implementing the ESRI ArcGIS' parcel data model. In particular, I wish to thank the

Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Subcommittee on Cadastral Data who collectively and

collaboratively developed the Cadastral Data Content Standard, which is the heart of the ArcGIS

parcel model. The subcommittee's efforts represent the best in class of what can be done to develop

national standards. Thanks to Gary Speight, Bob Ader, and Don Buhler who provide and sustain the

vision of standards through partnerships.

At ESRI, Steve Grise, Clint Brown, and Scott Morehouse made the first versions of the ArcGIS

parcel data model possible. Their goals for a cadastral template for the ArcGIS community started

this effort. Wayne Hewitt was instrumental in testing the model and assuring that it worked with the

ArcGIS tools. Wayne and Steve sponsored the ESRI User Conference presentations, where we received

a lot of feedback on the model's progress and had some good times along the way. Mike Zeiler

provided special graphics and asked fundamental questions.

Thanks to the people who reviewed drafts and provided comments and input on the data model

and supporting requirements. I know that their organizations have made time for them to participate

and contribute, and I am grateful for their efforts, knowledge, and input:

Dean Anderson, Cathy Appleton, Rick Breckenridge, Tom Bushey, Anita Campbell,

Adam Chadwick, David Claypool, Richard Clement, Randy Covington, Peter Croswell,

Diann Danielsen, Stuart Davis, Richard Dickman, Teresa Di Gioia, Neil Duxbury, Bob

Earle, Shoreh Elhami, Fran Evanisko, Bill Ferguson, Roberto A. Figueroa, Gina Funicelli,

Arvind Ganesan, Bob Gaspirc, Susan Higashi, David Horwood, Barb Kett, Roy King.

Stewart Kirkpatrick, Mike Koutnik, Jay Krafthefer, ]im LeMieux, Zsolt Nagy, David E.

O'Hara, Anne Payne, Ginny Pyles. Milo Robinson, Luke Savage, Roxanne Scott, Brad Stump.

Kathleen Swingle, Greg Tudor, Paul H. Vastag, and Gary Waters.

vi / GIS and Land Records: The ArcGIS Parcel Data Model

I am thankful for the reviews and support of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cadastral

community. Marc Thomas, Bob Deviney, Brent Blair, and Byron Clayton answered unending ques￾tions about federal land records. Dennis McKay and Paul Lukacovic reviewed survey and measure￾ment topics many, many times. Dennis Walworth and Linda Ricketts reviewed and commented on

each cycle of the model—thanks for the modeling skills and reality checks.

The counties discussed in this book are so special and are the key to making our national cadas￾tral infrastructure a reality. A special thanks to Scott Oppmann of Oakland County, Michigan—his

friendship, reviews, testing, and contribution were a constant throughout the model development and

the book. Don Dittmar, Jim Landwehr, and Bill Cozzens in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, validated

the model and provided great stories. The Sandsnes men, Carl and Arden (Sandy), shared their deep

understanding of land title and measurement with me repeatedly.

My working pals at Headwater Resources Norm Bushor and Chris Lucas support our many and

ongoing ArcGIS projects and continually validate and improve upon the implementation and integra￾tion of standard, documented GIS information.

A special thanks to my husband Bill who provides humor, support, and the perspective of life

beyond work.

Claudia Naber at ESRI Press taught me how to write in real English, not technical speak. Any

remaining errors in that regard in this book are mine, not hers.

It has been a privilege for me to work with so many good people in the cadastral community.

I hope you enjoy this book and benefit from its content.

Forewor d

More and more we are rinding that land records and cadastral information represent one of the most

strategic layers in GIS today. Here is just one example. In September 2003 before Hurricane Isabel

made landfall in North Carolina, counties in the projected path of the storm were inundated with

calls for information about parcel elevation. Knowing the elevation would help homeowners plan

adequately for storm surge. After the devastating storm, among other findings, it was discovered that

standard parcel data sets needed to be available off-site and structured so they can be readily inte￾grated with other published data sets such as those in a national map pilot project. The absence of

standards made integrating information from multiple counties and states very difficult while the hur￾ricane was raging. These and other examples tell us simply that parcel information is important.

Traditionally, mapping and land-records work has involved compiling data for focused use, such

as for assessing taxes. Those who capture and maintain that data applied due diligence to make sure

that the information content and methods were consistent and this approach worked excellently for

that focused use. However, for quite some time, many have longed for a comprehensive cadastral

information model that can be applied to more purposes. Data consumers have wanted data in a

format they could understand so they could put it to work.

The status quo in GIS is changing to enable the development and maintenance of land records

information that supports multiple purposes and enables tighter integration with survey information.

ESRI is committed to evolving its tools to support these capabilities.

Two criteria necessary for building multi-purpose, integrated land records systems are

(1) common data models or content standards and (2) methods and best practices. This book explores

the common model for parcel information that can lead to development of shared best practices.