Smart Data Strategies, Inc. Begins Work on National Property Database

Business Wire, Oct 31, 2000

Business Editors & High Tech Writers

FRANKLIN, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 31, 2000

Smart Data Strategies, Inc. (SDS) of Franklin, Tenn., has announced its plan for the creation of a parcel-level Geographic Information System (GIS) database encompassing the entire United States. The project will result in a geographically-indexed national cadastre -- a record of the value, extent, ownership, and related data for all properties in the U.S., accessible online through point-and-click navigation or as custom-ordered bulk data sets.

National Digital Cadastre -- An Historic Step Forward for

Government, Private Industry, and Citizens

The finished system will provide a virtual "bird's eye" view of property-related data for every parcel in the United States. Where available, digitized images from aerial photographic or satellite studies will be matched with linework and symbology representing individual parcels, roadways, bodies of water, and other common map features. The parcel graphics will be logically linked to the non-graphic data, giving a visual index to property information such as deed description and acreage, ownership, assessed value, improvements, soil type, drainage, and proximity to features such as schools, industry, churches, utilities, roads, and bodies of water.

Completion of the national digital cadastre will be of landmark significance to an assortment of organizations across multiple industries. Susan Marlow, SDS president and CEO, says, "A national cadastre will allow for the first time a channel for public- and private-sector access to property information across all jurisdictions and boundaries within the U.S. Currently, even the simple analysis required to derive the total value of damages sustained from a tornado that crosses State or even County lines is impeded by the fact that the original property valuation data must first be collected from each individual jurisdiction affected. Our project will make it possible to easily access property data without regard to regional jurisdictions or political boundaries. This will result in quicker analysis, better decision-making, and faster responses by a variety of organizations who can put this data to good use."

Matthew A. Price, marketing director for SDS, elaborates, "A national digital cadastre will foster quicker and more reliable decision-making by individual citizens, businesses of all sorts, institutions of learning, and governmental bodies at all levels. Everyday uses for such a system are manifold. Citizens with simple property-related questions will save time normally spent in line at the assessor's office. Real estate developers and agents will have instant access to the information they need to do their jobs. But the biggest benefit will be to those organizations who will be given the ability to conduct cross-jurisdictional analysis on property data."

Access to a national digital cadastre, for example, will provide significant benefit to those responsible for the tracking and prediction of phenomena such as the spread of citrus blight; the socioeconomic effects of industrial fallout, chemical spills, and the airborne application of chemicals such as defoliant and plant growth hormone; or the concentration of reported cancer cases in relation to the proximity of heavy industry or regional water tables. Organizations ranging from emergency management and disease control centers, regional Internet service providers, engineering firms, and federal, regional, or local law enforcement agencies will be able to provide their services more proactively when a national cadastre is available.

SDS Seeks Partnerships with Data Providers

Building the national digital cadastre will be a massive undertaking. Property assessment and valuation data is available from public institutions through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) passed by Congress in 1966 and amended in 1974. However, this information exists in many formats, including paper records in many instances. "Ours is an ambitious goal, but it's also attainable," continues Marlow. "Our 12-year history in the business of property data collection, conversion, and management for local governments positions SDS as one of the few private businesses today with the capacity and the experience to successfully complete such a task."

Where possible, SDS seeks to enter into partnerships with the various public and private organizations in possession of the data necessary to build the national cadastre. "Obtaining this data through FOIA is sometimes a burdensome process," adds Jim Weaver, chief information officer for SDS. "Quick, reliable access to digital cadastral data is the bottom line, and SDS is making this happen by collaborating with strategic partners who are looking for a return on their GIS dollars. In today's Internet economy, these digital data distribution relationships will yield tremendous benefit for all participants."

The opportunity for collaboration Weaver refers to is the new eMapsPlus.com property data distribution system recently launched by SDS. Data hosted on eMapsPlus.com can be viewed instantly through industry-standard Web browsers, while collections of bulk data can be ordered on digital media for use in third-party projects that can benefit from geographic information. According to Weaver, "eMapsPlus.com is useful to many counties because states are considering the passage of legislation similar to that recently passed in Tennessee and Michigan that allows government agencies to earn revenue from the sale of GIS data products." eMapsPlus.com is also beneficial to organizations such as utilities and large engineering firms who maintain property data that is of use in third-party projects. Organizations who agree to host their property data on eMapsPlus.com receive a percentage of the proceeds when new clients sign up to access that data or purchase a license to use it in their own projects.