North Carolina county creates map-enabled portal on community Web site
The recent addition to the county’s Web site provides data used daily for real estate and transportation projects. Information is presented in an easy-to-read digital map format that is accessible online for the general public.
The Web site was developed by Cumberland County’s Joint Planning Department, using a solution from JCH GIS that integrates Pitney Bowes MapInfo technology.
Thanks to the Web site, realtors and citizens of Cumberland County can select a parcel of land by address, parcel number or by simply clicking on a map to see all of the proposed transportation projects within 1,000 feet or a half mile of the selected property.
As Cumberland County’s housing market is on the upswing, developers can use the public portal to view lot and plan details, zoning requirements, permitting and work orders. Previously, this housing and zoning data was housed in different databases and required significant time and effort to gather.
By integrating a range of information, the online mapping solution has reduced manual processes for county employees, thereby saving time and increasing efficiency.
Phone calls from the general public and others interested in street addresses have been reduced for planning staff by approximately 60 percent. Prior to implementing this solution, the staff received approximately 1,500 phone inquiries monthly.
Internal efficiencies also have been realized by other divisions within the Planning Department and tax offices. For instance, online mapping has reduced phone calls and walk-in traffic to the Transportation Planning section by approximately 60 percent for planned highway questions. Prior to the Web site, a citizen had no easy method of retrieving information about land parcels and could unknowingly purchase a piece of land that was destined to be impacted by future transportation projects.
Through the integrated database, Cumberland County also is able to enhance its emergency 911 services, resulting in quicker and more accurate responses to citizens. New developments not yet mapped can be reviewed and geographically located in the system, allowing individuals responsible for 911 database maintenance and emergency planning a method to perform pre-development planning.
The map portal connects the community with many sources of data, enabling users to discover and analyze the full extent of the information. For example, citizens can see first hand how a highway project could affect their property in the next 10 years.
Using location-based technology on the Web site enables municipalities throughout Cumberland County to share data from disparate sources across all departments quickly and efficiently.