Municipalities and other entities may be asking what life would be like if their organization adopted ParcelMap BC. Read about Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen GIS Coordinator Kelly Chatterson’s experience.
The driving factors for the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen was confidence in the data and time savings. Quite simply put, “We trust your process, so why do it twice?” noted Kelly Chatterson. With the ParcelMap BC team responsible for data curation, survey datasets are converted to GIS parcel-ready data populated with Coordinate Geometry (COGO) values. As a result, the Regional District was able to repurpose a third of a position, previously dedicated to drawing and updates, to other department demands and tasks.
The Web Map Service (WMS) was one of the appealing features. Updated weekly, a snapshot of the ParcelMap BC cadastre is conveniently available via a WMS link. “We use the WMS regularly and have added it as a layer to our internal web mapping application”, explained Kelly Chatterson. “Being able to see the legal and tax base has been useful.”
For a self-described “small shop”, updating workflows so that they are not maintaining two parcel fabrics poses a challenge. To address this situation, their GIS team have an extensive monthly update process to keep datasets current.
Another issue was refining the data relationship between ParcelMap BC and BC Assessment (BCA). In the weekly publication of data to stakeholders (via Data Catalogue), a PID to JUROL relationship table mapping parcels to corresponding BCA folio data is provided. These and other resources are available to ensure a smooth transition so that adopters can begin taking advantage of the current, complete and trusted mapped representation of titled and Crown land parcels in British Columbia.
After adoption, the ParcelMap BC team continues to deliver ongoing support and address inquires. New and existing adopters of ParcelMap BC are encouraged to email parcelmapbc@ltsa.ca for continued service and attention.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen is the 149th adopter of ParcelMap BC including all six local governments, two of which adopted in 2018. The cities of Penticton and Summerland are now joined by Town of Oliver, Town of Osoyoos, Town of Princeton and Village of Keremeos which serves as the 153rd adopter.