Overview

Parcel Data is Critical. Digital parcel data, stored in a geographic information system (GIS), is a critical source of information for resource land managers, community development needs, infrastructure maintenance, research, homeland security, business development, public safety, and more.

Redundant Efforts are Costly. Currently, there is not a single source of GIS-based parcel information for Washington State. Efforts to collect, store, and manage county, state and federal parcel data are often redundant at all levels of government. Each public or private entity must request data directly from over forty different entities; data which arrives in a myriad of formats and differing attribute schemes. Many counties have data license agreements that prohibit-or severely restrict-the ability of one user to share parcel data with other users, making cross-agency or interdisciplinary research difficult, expensive, and variable since no two groups are using the same data.

Thus, this project aims to provide simplified access to parcel data, while increasing data quality and decreasing redundancy.

Goals

• Survey current and potential parcel data users to identify what components of parcel data are important to their business needs.
• Establish relationships with Washington's counties, state and federal agencies to understand their parcel data needs.
• Identify derivative products that are currently produced from parcel data and develop the capability to share those data.
• Develop a master license agreement to allow parcel data to be shared with other partner entities.
• Collect parcel data from Washington's 39 counties, state and federal agencies.
• Develop a common statewide parcel data format that meets the needs of project participants.
• Work with each parcel data producer to develop a protocol for transformation of local parcel data into a common statewide format.
• Transform Washington State parcel data into a common statewide format, documenting procedures and protocols for future updates.
• Implement a collaborative parcel data distribution and update service.
• Identify long-term funding sources for improving the quantity and quality of parcel GIS data in the State.
• Identify long-term funding sources for support personnel, updates to the database, and maintenance of hardware.