HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 05-18-1993 - VII-B 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: May 18, 1993
Action Agenda
Item # V -
SUBJECT: GIS IMPLEMENTATION IN PLANNING DEPARTMENT
DEPARTMENT: PLANNING PUBLIC HEARING Yes x No
ATTACHMENT(S) : INFORMATION CONTACT: Planning Director
Extension 2592
None
TELEPHONE NUMBERS:
Hillsborough - 732-8181
Durham - 688-7331
Mebane - 227-2031
Chapel Hill - 967-9251
PURPOSE: To receive a report on implementation of the geographic
information system in the Planning Department.
BACKGROUND: In 1989, Orange County committed to the installation and
development of a geographic information system. In 1991,
a work station, digitizing table, and plotter were placed
in the Information Services Division of the Planning
Department.
Beginning in 1990 and extending through most of 1992, the
Information Services Division staff participated in a
variety of training courses, ranging from a graduate
course at UNC to in-house training by a GIS specialist.
Of all the training, that provided by the GIS specialist
was most beneficial, since the Information Services staff
could work in the office and use local data in a series of
learning exercises.
Since September of 1992, the staff has begun the process
of building a database for the Planning Department.
Rather than create new databases through the digitizing
process, the staff has checked first to determine the
availability of existing data from Federal, State, and
local sources. The most important of the databases
acquired to date is the soil survey of the county prepared
by the Soil Conservation Service.
The Information Services Division staff has been working
on a number of projects, both large and small, in addition
to building various database layers. These include:
- Digitizing the County Public Roads map
2
- Preparation of a small-scale study comparing soil
productivity with distance from an urban area for use
in the PDR program
- Digitizing three voluntary agricultural districts
- Identification of restricted soils surrounding the
University Station project
- Building a database for the Blackwood Station small
area plan and combining various attributes to identify
development potential
- Building a database for Bingham Township for use in
the LESA system as well as part of a Comprehensive
Resources Map recommended by the Rural Character Study
Committee.
Examples of these projects will be presented at the
meeting.
RECOMMENDATION: Receive as information.