Friday, 12 July 2013

Mapping Out the Advantages of an Aerial Map

The advanced technologies of the modern age give way to several opportunities of creativity and convenience. The old practices that once were golden gems for the development of civilization have now been improved to greater heights, giving way to a more efficient way of living. One instance would be the use of aerial photography maps. While the advent of the traditional maps is definitely significant in its own right, the creation of the so-called aerial map of today is a far departure from it. With a lot of innovative features, these useful tools are met with a lot of functions and applications.

There are a lot of varieties at how aerial maps are used today. The most common of which is to generate maps for travel software. Used for GPS and others as such, the idea is to give people a clear view of an area, making it possible to see the easiest routes and avoid misguided turns. A traditional map would certainly call for a more experienced navigator. Meanwhile, aerial maps make it easier for anyone to make their way through the most confusing routes. This is thanks to the benefit of having the area’s detailed photos featured in these maps. In addition, it can also show the topography of the area as well as some other important details that cannot possibly be incorporated to a traditional map. Despite the sophistication of the tool, it can actually be considered as the cheapest means of acquiring a view of a whole region.

Sufficed to say, updated aerial maps will let you know how a place looks with a far-reaching perspective. Of course, there is a need for these to be updated from time to time as making use of ones that are outdated will fail to give you the essence of their purpose. Updating an aerial map is still much more beneficial than a traditional map though since one photograph practically produce the aerial map at once. Meanwhile, the traditional map takes a lot of effort and time whether they are to be drawn or generated through a computer.

Another use of aerial maps is for real estate exhibitions. Convenience is a big deal for people today, which is exactly what a real estate firm delivers to their clients by giving them an aerial view of the estate for sale. More importantly, this gives a big impact on the impression of the interested buyer. By capturing a magnificent view of the land in which the estate is situated. To further add to its benefit, several blocks of for sale properties can be shown in one aerial map alone. This way, they get a practical means of presenting their proposal to their target clients, possibly hinting their planned look for the community.

There are many other purposes in taking advantage of aerial maps. In the recent years, it has become useful for rescue and relief operations. In that respect, these are definitely significant tools that you can only expect to grow even more relevant in the future.

The Advantage of Property Lines Maps for Landowners

It is a wonder how land boundaries of two proprietors can conflict. However, it does happen and not as rarely as you would think too. More often than not, the cause for this hassling matter is an inconsistency in the legal descriptions either of one or both of the parties. This obviously results to a series of problems once the landowners realize that another is also claiming for the same tract of land that is supposedly theirs. Sometimes the problem may be in the deeds itself, but in some instances, there are people who are not as well-versed at comprehending the often vague or confusing contents of the deeds. For the former, the error might be that two deeds hold the description of the same plot of land, or part thereof, leading the two parties to have their claim of the land. As unfortunate as it sounds, faulty legal descriptions do exists resulting mostly from unqualified people handling the writing and recording of the legal descriptions.  Of course, there are also cases where a low-experienced layman has made errors in surveying the area. This shows the importance of a property lines map.

A property lines map is an easy way for a landowner to know the boundaries of their property. It strictly details where a property end, letting the owner avoid legal disputes. The term “property lines” is used to define the lines that represent the boundaries of one’s land, subsequently where the neighboring property starts. Through these lines, the homeowner has a guide of where they can legally place items and structures that they own. Quite easily, a property lines map can maintain the peace and mutual understanding of the properties between the members of a community.

Disputes concerning land ownership have always been present in the United States, especially back way back in the country’s history.  Back then, inaccuracies in maps are ever existent and no one could rely on a credible proof of their property such as a property lines map. Land surveying was just as unreliable, focusing merely on markers, such as trees, which were subject to change at some point in time. It is fortunate that today, the likes of property lines maps,  which are more reliable  indicators of one’s legal property, are made available. With the geographical conditions in the present, it is all the more difficult to be in good faith of the outdated practices used in the past.

The important thing is for a landowner to assess clearly what is rightfully theirs as soon as they have claimed ownership of an area. This is made easier with a property lines map which can be used as an easy proof of one’s right to a piece of land. It is a well-defined tool that gives way to a lot of advantages. Several disputes can be avoided or at the very least, the homeowner can have something to back-up their rightful claim. Perhaps the most important of all, is that neighboring landowners will have a good understanding of what each owns.

Parents Can Secure their Child’s Learning Environment with a School District Map

As a parent, there is a great reason for you to be concerned about all the details regarding your child and their future. You can never be too uptight when it comes to securing your their well-being. While there can never be an absolute guarantee, there are possible measures that can give you some piece of mind.

Now, if you are looking to find a new school for your kid, of course, you will need to make sure that the new school can deliver high quality education. Moreover, you will require a sense of confidence that your child will be in a safe environment. This does not only the school grounds but also the premises around it. Naturally, a secure atmosphere will give a more positive impact to their future. While a plain look at an institution may or may not give you enough to work with your decision of where to send your child, the school district maps can definitely give you a better perspective of the environment of the school you are eyeing.

School district maps give a bird’s eye view of a school area. This way you can determine whether or not a school is well-suited for your child. You can see as far as the institution stretches, letting you see the level of safety and security that it poses for its students. Also, you may be able to spot some features of the place that you might find unsuitable. Essentially, you can make a well-informed decision of where to send your child.

There are a lot of websites online that offer school district maps across the different states in the United States such as California, Florida, Texas and Colorado. You will gain a great benefit from getting hold of a school district map for the schools near your area. Thanks to the online websites that provide the, you can acquire this benefit at the leisure of your home. Of course, you will need to pay an actual visit to the school once you have made your decision to certify that you have made the best choice.

Actually, there are websites that let you see a more in-depth of view of the school you are interested in. Apart from giving you the bird’s eye view with the school district maps, these websites allow you to leave comments about the schools and interact with the personnel behind the institution to inquire of any questions that you may have.

All in all, school district maps are definitely reliable resources for the information that you need for your child’s potential school. It gives an all-in-one comprehensive look at the conditions and structure of the institution in which you might have your child spend their school years in. You would know how important this is as the environment greatly impacts how your child will go through their learning years. Due to the great advantage of these maps, there are actually firms that generate them, and other mapping items, for a price.

Wednesday, 5 June 2013

The Benefits of Using Parcel Maps Integrated with Advanced Spatial Technology

With more and more counties growing rapidly, a higher degree of precision in developing parcel mapping applications is necessary. Parcel data is the main source of property information that includes its topography, aerial view, location, sales data and ownership. So, to significantly improve the accuracy of the information presented in a plat map, it is important to use better mapping tools and technologies. Improved parcel boundaries can give you better accuracy in location, graphics display of the property and spatial analysis. Companies that specialize in incorporating cities and towns in the US usually have a vast repository of parcel boundaries that you can integrate into your geospatial processes.

A successful parcel map provider can give you consistent update on the information that needed to be included in your map or list. The product should be delivered parcel shapefiles format to have a unified map of a county. The Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) should also be indicated in the map along with the lot geometry and size so that you can verify the information presented to you prior your preliminary title report. This can help you save time and effort from trying to correct any errors. A correct parcel map also makes you eligible for loan application and buying the property of your choice. Getting quality parcel boundaries from an esteemed supplier can also give you very precise property locations for all of your data research and analysis. This is especially true for people who wanted to know the current market value of a property including the tax rolls associated with it. There are also companies that use advanced technology when doing data entry in GIS data, allowing you to have a complete picture of your property with physical characteristics close to the actual appearance.

An example of an excellent aerial map is Google Maps. The said Internet giant has brought GIS applications and parcel data mapping into a higher, new level. Many GIS experts were surprised to what Google Maps has achieved throughout the years, which is to have an ability to visualize data in a map. It started the popularity of satellite images that somehow people have also started taking it for granted. This is why when Google integrated parcel data to their maps it created a buzz among online communities. Thus, the demand for maps using satellite or aerial images soared high, leading to the development of newer spatial technologies.

Parcel data now represents another level of sophistication for ordinary online users. This kind of technology made research on properties a lot easier and convenient for people. Gone are the days when buyers need to visit a land office for a parcel map or refer to yellow pages for information. Today, they only need to connect to the Internet to see the physical characteristics of a property across different counties. Online maps became a greater tool for looking at the exact boundaries of a property, size, owner’s info, outline of a property and neighborhood. Buyers are now given the option to choose convenient ways to looking at houses or vacant land for future development.

How to Make Use of Parcel Maps

Only a few people would spend some of their time to study a parcel map closely. Little did other people know that understanding how to read parcel maps are very important in helping themselves come up with an informed decision about buying or selling a property. Laws about incorporating cities or counties in the US would not be made if there is such little importance in mapping these cities for legal and sales reference purposes. Parcel or plat maps are created to show boundaries of an existing property like houses and schools. Each parcel offers very significant information into like the name of the property owner, contact information, address of the site, size and geometry of a lot and orientation of the property. With much information it presents, parcel boundaries are drafted and stored by the county property appraisers.

Parcel storage is also done for tax assessment, wherein the property appraisers determine the market value of a property every year based on the most recent sales data of the same properties. The taxes of the respective properties are then levied based on the computed market value and rates defined by the state government. There are companies that provide parcel maps with property boundaries and tax records for a certain county or state. One of the major benefits you can enjoy by having this is that you can save time and money whenever you do research about a property in different counties. You can also ask if your provider offers a unified interface or platform where you can view all property information in a county of your choice. Other information you should ask about include aerial maps of the property, flood zone maps, dedicated public spaces, among many others.

In most cases, property buyers can take advantage of the benefits of having a parcel data than property sellers. It is not far fetched to say that parcel maps are created for sales purposes so that real estate agents can explain to buyers some specific information they need to know. For example, buyers can use parcel maps to search for vacant lot for development purposes, analyze the market value of a property and learn about the owner’s information. You can visit websites that provide parcel map and data of a certain state. You can use their GIS data and viewer to have an initial look of the property’s image.

In researching the property owner information, you can search them by using a parcel ID number. It is in this method by which you can get to know the site address, sale date, prices and other legal descriptions. Parcel map research will not take too much of your time since each in each county, there is a unified shape file. The tax information is also included as well as the GIS attributes of multiple counties. You can also request for a custom parcel map or list to let you have a variety of choices, and then refine your parcel list with map layers like flood zone areas.

Different Types of GIS Data and their Role in Speeding up a Parcel Mapping Project

It is inevitable for counties or cities to experience rapid growth. People from another state start moving to one another for different reasons. Regardless of their purpose, it is a normal action for real estate developers to take advantage of this opportunity by developing some more subdivisions in a county. It is also this reason that land surveyors and cartographers have to update county maps as often as possible to provide accurate information. Failure to provide up-to-date information in a parcel map might mean serious problems to property buyers and sellers since this kind of map is required by law. Thus, there are rules and regulations that govern the creation of plat maps of a particular place. For instance, wrong information on the size and shape of a lot can be a ground for turning down a loan application not until it is corrected.

It is very challenging for parcel map cartographers and surveyors to keep up with plat edits. This is why there is a great need for better technologies to be used in making such necessary edits on a plat map. This is especially true in some of the fastest-growing counties in the US. Such counties heavily rely on a software program that is designed to increase plat mapping productivity. A prime example of this software is text-to-vector program. By using plat mapping technologies, it can help companies reduce labor costs in doing parcel data entry. Data entry in GIS alone takes up 90 percent of the total budget for a project. Technology can help cartographers and urban planners speed up their GIS data entry process, increasing the level of productivity. This is especially true in the creation and editing of any parcel data.

GIS data have three main sources; field data, electronic data and paper data. Examples of electronic data included aerial and satellite imagery, databases and CAD drawings. Field data is usually gathered by using automated ways like computers, data collectors and other handheld gadgets. Lastly, paper data come from word documents, books, text files, scanned photos and other paper documents relevant to the project. And because of the much information that can be gathered through paper based data, it is this GIS data source that provides the highest conversion cost. Out of using paper based files, rasterization is a method commonly used for the creation of GIS features.  Another method is digitizing where line tracing is also done similar to rasterization. Line tracing is done only by hand on a handheld device like tablet PCs or even through desktop computers.

In creating GIS attributes through paper based documents, keyboard entry is the main tool for doing it so. This kind of method may be slower than other means to creating GIS attributes but the results are pretty much accurate. Besides, the most important objective to be achieved is to gather all necessary data to have a full picture of the parcel mapping project. In this way, corrections are made as well as an up-to-date information is now provided.

Thursday, 2 May 2013

Impressive View of a Terrestrial Location Through Aerial Maps


ust imagine, how will you feel if you will have an aerial view of your house? You can see all the streets, rivers, mountains, historical monuments and all other landmarks of a specific geographic location all at a time. You can have it all by having a joyous ride in a helicopter. But, what about having all such view just by sitting back on the sofa at your house? Yes, it is possible. You can have an aerial view of any topographical division from your own home.

Aerial maps will provide you such view. By using these layouts, you can have a view of any natural landmark of your choice. Also, you can have celestial view of county maps. These maps can be easily found on the Internet. Not only this, these layouts which are available on the Web offer clear images and well-angled view of a terrestrial location.

You can also search for the directions for driving through these ethereal layouts of geographical locations. These blue-prints of terrestrial divisions eliminate the requirement for carrying bulky and huge layouts of geographic locations.

All these layouts can be customized easily. This means that these celestial layouts are also custom maps and are easily editable. Also, one can use airy school district maps in order to search for an educational institution by looking at the airy view of the place.