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Government>Geographic Information Systems>Digital Geographic Data Available for Purchase
Charlevoix County Digital Geographic (GIS) Data Available for Purchase
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Introduction to the Charlevoix County Digital Geographic Data Sales Program
Selected digital data sets developed by Charlevoix County's Equalization, Planning, and GIS Departments are available for sale to the public directly. Organizations seeking to purchase this information typically include site planning developers, real estate agencies, land surveyors, civil engineering firms, utility companies, vehicle navigation system developers, land/title insurance researchers, property appraisers, demographic research analysts, gas/oil/mineral resource extraction companies, commercial forest management firms, financial lending institutions, as well as many other related fields of interest.
Charlevoix County provides enhanced access to this digital, geographic information in accordance with the Michigan Enhanced Access to Public Records Act (P.A. 442 of 1996). Many of the resources available to the public free of charge can be obtained on the Charlevoix County Services & Information Center website. However, some organizations prefer to manipulate the actual data the County has developed for their own specialized map analysis purposes.
Purpose of the County Data Sales Program
The purpose of this program is not to prevent public access to this information, but to provide enhanced access to the actual source data the County uses to develop maps that support public programs and services. The revenue generated from the sale of this information is used to offset some of the ongoing maintenance and development costs required to keep this data current. This revenue will help cover the cost of storing, creating, compiling, maintaining, processing, upgrading, and enhancing the data in the format available under enhanced access.
The types and formats of the data are typically designed to be used in geographic information systems software or land design software (computer aided drafting, civil design, and modeling related software). The County does not offer technical support or guidance on how to use this data for non-governmental applications. However, a growing number of local and regional private consultants in the mapping/surveying/engineering industry are available to assist interested users in determining if this data is useful for their intended application(s). If you do not find the information you are seeking on this page, you are welcome to contact the County GIS Department at (231) 237-0113 for background information on the data available.
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| Types of Data Available |
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The current fee schedule adopted by the Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners includes the types ("layers") of digital data that can be purchased.
1) Parcels: The parcel boundary layer contains the land ownership (property) boundaries developed and maintained by the County Equalization Department for property tax administration, assessment and reference purposes. This layer is created from a combination of assessor's legal descriptions, property boundary surveys, and public land survey system references. While every attempt is made to draw these boundaries as accurately as possible, they are NOT intended to represent or substitute for a legal boundary survey.
Each parcel will have associated data, such as the tax identification code number, property owner, property taxable value, property tax use classification code, property school district code, and many other types of tax related information. The parcel metadata form is currently under development. Please contact the County GIS Coordinator for more information.
2) 2004 Orthophotography: The orthophotography available from the County was obtained during late April 2004. Aerial photos were taken of the entire mainland portion of the County (including 343 square miles) and Beaver Island (including an additional 57 square miles) for a total covered area of 400 square miles or 256,000 acres. These images were acquired on black and white film, digitally scanned, and orthorectified by Ayres Associates in Madison, Wisconsin. The prefix “ortho” in the word orthophotography implies that the scale of the photo is constant throughout the image. Therefore, if we take several measurements of the same distance between any points on the photo (digital image) you will find the same ground distance is represented in each of the measurements. This is referred to as a consistent map scale where the measurement qualities of a traditional map are essentially conveyed to the digital image. Therefore, we can accurately measure area and distance simply by using the measurement tools provided in the web mapping display you are currently using to view the aerial imagery. For more information about this project and its technical details, please contact the County GIS Coordinator.
3) 2004 Road Centerline: This important reference layer was developed for use in the Charlevoix-Cheboygan-Emmet 911 Emergency Services Dispatch system. The line feature layer contains the position of the roads, streets, and accesses throughout the County. In addition, it contains the address ranges associated with each road segment in the County, which are used by dispatchers to approximate the location of emergency calls. Metadata for this layer is currently under development and further information can be obtained through the County GIS Coordinator.
4) Zoning: The Charlevoix County Planning Department works closely with the County's 15 townships to track changes in their zoning ordinance text and zoning maps. The zoning map for each township has been digitized by the GIS Department and is updated as needed. The zoning data layer contains all of the zoning district boundaries and a code referencing the name of each district in each township. This information is frequently subject to change and in all cases, the township zoning administrator should be contacted to confirm all applicable zoning regulations, including the zoning of a parcel of property, before any interpretations are made. The official zoning map for each township is maintained by the respective township. A list of the current zoning administrators for the townships, cities and the village (including their contact information) is available by clicking here.
5) 1998 Land Use/Land Cover Inventory: This inventory of land uses and land covers was developed based on 1997 aerial photography. The land uses and land covers were identified by remote sensing staff at Central Michigan University's Center for Geographic Information Science. Land use classifications were assigned to the entire County mainland to define residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, extractive, and institutional land uses. Land cover classifications included forested, non-forested, lowland forested, wetland, lakes, beaches, and dunes. This classification system was intended to meet the MIRIS 2000 classification criteria (with a few slight modifications). The classification criteria are available for review at the Michigan State University Remote Sensing & Geographic Information Science Research & Outreach Services web site.
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| Data Order Forms, Fees & Information |
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At this time, all data requests must be submitted to the GIS Coordinator in writing by mail (US Mail, UPS, DHL, FedEx, etc.) and accompanied by full payment. Please be sure to allow for a two-week turnaround for all orders. Orders will be processed as soon as possible by the GIS Coordinator. If you request an expedited delivery service, the County will utilize UPS Next Day Air delivery. All delivery costs will be passed on to the purchaser (please contact the GIS Coordinator ahead of time to determine the approximate delivery charges). A complete order will require the following items:
1. A completed Digital Geographic (GIS) Data order form specifying the data requested.
2. A signed acknowledgment of the Charlevoix County Digital Geographic Data Limitation of Liability/Digital Data Use Disclaimer.
3. A signed, original copy of the GIS Data Licensing Agreement (terms & conditions). Data purchased through Charlevoix County may not be resold or redistributed without written authorization from the Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners.
4. A check or money order for the total amount due must be made payable to the County of Charlevoix.
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Adobe PDF Downloadable Documents
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| Charlevoix County Enhanced Access to Public Records Policy |
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CHARLEVOIX COUNTY
ENHANCED ACCESS TO PUBLIC RECORDS POLICY
CHARLEVOIX COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS RESOLUTION 04-103 (ADOPTED 12/08/2004)
This policy is established pursuant to the authority of the Enhanced Access to Public Records Act, 1996 P.A. 462 as amended.
1. DEFINITIONS
A. "Enhanced access" means a public record's immediate availability for public inspection, purchase or copying by digital means. Enhanced access does not include the transfer of ownership of a public record.
B. "Geographical information system" means an informational unit or network capable of producing customized maps based upon a digital representation of geographical data.
C. "Person" means that term as defined in section 2 of the Freedom of Information Act, Act No. 442 of the Public Acts of 1976, being section 15.232 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.
D. "Public Body" means that term as defined in section 2 of the Freedom of Information Act, Act No. 442 of the Public Acts of 1976, being section 15.232 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.
E. "Public Record" means that term as defined in section 2 of the Freedom of Information Act, Act No. 442 of the Public Acts of 1976, being section 15.232 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.
F. "Software" means that term as defined in section 2 of the Enhanced Access to Public Records Act, Act No. 462 of the Public Acts of 1996, being section 15.442 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.
2. AUTHORIZATION
A. Pursuant to 1996 P.A. 462, all Charlevoix County government public bodies may provide enhanced access for the inspection, copying, or purchasing of a public record that is not confidential or otherwise exempt by law from disclosure. [Sec. 3(1)(a); Sec.3(3)].
B. This policy does not require a public body to provide enhanced access to a specific record, if that public body has not established an enhanced access policy in accordance with Section 3(6) of 1996 P.A. 462, being section 15.443 (3) with respect to that specific public record.
C. County elected officials, department heads, agencies, boards, commissions and councils legally responsible for the creation, preparation, ownership, custody, control, maintenance, preservation, guardianship, retention, possession or use of a public record shall select which public records may be made available through enhanced access.
D. Principles and policies to be considered in determining which public records shall be made available through enhanced access include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Management principles applied to information resources should be the same as those applied to other governmental resources.
2. Elected officials, department heads, agencies, boards, commissions, councils and other county public bodies legally responsible for the creation, preparation, ownership, custody, control, maintenance, preservation, guardianship, retention, possession or use of a public record have the responsibility, authority and accountability for the management of public record information.
3. Information resources investments must be driven by legal, programmatic and governmental requirements.
4. Charlevoix County government, in trust for the people of Charlevoix County, has a duty to ensure ownership of information products and county created intellectual property is protected and maintained.
3. FEES
A. It is the policy of Charlevoix County to charge a reasonable fee for providing enhanced access to a public record. [Sec. 3(1)(b)]
B. It is the policy of Charlevoix County to charge a reasonable fee for providing access to:
(i) A geographical information system.
(ii) The output from a geographical information system.
C. "Reasonable fee" means a charge calculated to enable Charlevoix County to recover over time only those operating expenses directly related to the public body's provision of enhanced access.
D. "Operating expenses" includes, but is not limited to, a public body's direct cost of creating, compiling, storing, maintaining, processing, upgrading, or enhancing information or data in a form available for enhanced access, including the cost of computer hardware and software, systems development, employee time, and the actual cost of supplying the information or record in the form requested by the purchaser.
E. Except as otherwise provided by act or statute, the County Board of Commissioners, in consultation with the respective County department(s), shall establish a reasonable fee(s) for each public record made available for enhanced access or for access to a geographical information system or the output from a geographical information system.
F. Except as otherwise provided by act or statute, all persons shall be charged the reasonable fee approved by the Board of Commissioners for enhanced access to a public record or for access to a geographical information system or the output from a geographical information system.
G. A public body may furnish access or enhanced access without charge or at a reduced charge if the public body determines that a waiver or reduction of fee is in the public interest because access or enhanced access can be considered as primarily benefiting the general public. Examples may include, but are not limited to, instances when:
1. The information is critical to public health or safety;
2. The information is required for non-profit research purposes such as academic or public interest research;
3. The information is required to meet legal, programmatic or governmental objectives;
4. The information explains the rights, entitlements and/or obligations of individuals;
5. The cost of administering the fees would exceed the revenue to be collected;
6. The reasonable fee established would have a serious detrimental impact on the financial position of particular groups or classes of users;
7. The reasonable fee established would limit the number of users enough to compromise achieving program or other governmental objectives.
H. Waiver or fee reductions shall be decided by the elected official, department head, agency, board, commission, council or other county public body legally responsible for the creation, preparation, ownership, custody, control, maintenance, preservation, guardianship, retention, possession or use of the public record(s) in question. The Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners shall approve the waiver or fee reductions prior to the award of that waiver or reduction.
4. DISCLAIMER
A. Recipients of access or enhanced access receive all information "AS IS". The County of Charlevoix, its officers, officials, employees, agents, volunteers, contractors or its public bodies, make no warranties of any kind, including but not limited to warranties of accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose, or of a recipient's right of use. Recipients are solely responsible for investigating, resisting, litigating and settling such complaints, including the payment of any damages or costs, unless the Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners, by resolution adopted by a majority of those elected and serving, elects to participate in the process at the County's expense.
B. Except for the Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners, by resolution adopted by a majority of those elected and serving, no officer, official, employee, agent, volunteer, contractor or other person or public body may make any representation or warranty on behalf of the County or one of its public bodies.
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This page last updated on 2/14/2005.
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