NC OneMap is home for all things geospatial

The cost of flying and producing high-resolution orthophotography (aerial photography rectified to the curvature of the earth) has been borne traditionally in North Carolina by local governments, which use these records for various functions, including land records management, tax administration and parcel mapping.

These resources are valuable tools for many other governmental agencies and functions. Vehicle routing to help first responders react to incidents more efficiently, site development selection for residential and commercial activities, floodplain management and insurance rate maps, emergency management, zoning, and environmental management are just a few of the endeavors that benefit from accurate and detailed aerial photography.

Many of these uses transcend county boundaries, but counties typically photograph within their borders only. The North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating Council (GICC) in 2003 saw a need for a statewide database to link these resources and also to provide common guidelines for the types of data that would prove useful. The GICC adopted a comprehensive initiative in partnership with county, municipal, state and federal data providers called NC OneMap, which bills itself as "the State Clearinghouse for geospatial information."

NC OneMap is a public service providing comprehensive discovery and access to North Carolina's geospatial data resources. It involves numerous local, state and federal government agencies, the private sector and academia.

NC OneMap has helped attract a lot of matching funds to local governments as they update their aerial imagery. Since 2005, GICC has worked through state and federal government agencies to provide more than $1 million in cost-share dollars for acquisition of this important data. Six Northeast counties – Bertie, Chowan, Gates, Hertford, Martin and Washington – received NC OneMap cost-share dollars for true-color orthophotography during the 2009 leaf-off winter flying season.

The U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Programs Office is the key partner in the coordination of federal resources for this effort. In 2009 and 2010, the USGS helped fund efforts to update photography in several N.C. counties, including Forsyth, Johnston and Wake in 2010.

Besides the possibility of grant funds, there are many other benefits for local governments to partner with NC OneMap. The project offers access to data that promotes public safety, better government decisions and economic vitality. The database also provides access through one location to the most up-to-date geospatial data and the availability of multi-jurisdictional data.

The Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (CGIA) is the lead agency for geographic information systems (GIS) services and GIS coordination for the State of North Carolina. CGIA provides contract GIS services to state and local governments as well as the private sector.

In August 2009, the General Assembly found that there is a critical need for consolidating investments made in GIS and geographic information. The General Assembly transferred CGIA to the Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) and appropriated funding for coordination program activities. The General Assembly further directed that the service program be refocused to meet current needs of the community while reducing overhead costs. As a result, the hourly rates charged for services were reduced from $100 to $80 per hour for full-time staff, and from $80 to $70 per hour for supplemental staff. The new rates went into effect April 1, 2010.

Working on a cost-recovery basis for more than 30 years, CGIA has developed a set of skills that achieve high service quality and customer satisfaction. CGIA specializes in developing spatial solutions to meet customers' business needs. The power of GIS can improve a county's ability to solve problems and make better decisions on such things as zoning, development, transportation planning and disaster recovery.

GIS data derived from satellite imagery and aerial photography provides cost-effective and accurate representations of landcover, impervious surfaces, green space, urban sprawl, forests, tree-type, and water bodies, in addition to other man-made objects or natural features. CGIA adds value to local government decision-making processes using the innovative technologies of Image Processing, Feature Extraction and Visualization. Using cutting-edge tools and creative methodologies, a clearer, more intuitive picture of North Carolina is presented. CGIA's Geospatial Imaging adds a new dimension to complement or enhance existing GIS data resources and gives you the exact data you need for daily operations.

For more information about CGIA and how it can help your county, contact CGIA Director Tim Johnson, GISP, at (919) 754-6588 or tim.johnson@its.nc.gov.