GIS Online – A Website for Everyone

County MIS Staff is pleased to announce that the GIS Online website has been revised and is now available in a new and improved way for everyone to use.  Previously, only a few county staff and citizens may have discovered and utilized this resource.  Many do not realize that this website can be used by anybody or that it can provide answers to a variety of questions.  Businesses locally, within the region and beyond have learned about this invaluable resource that saves time, provides accurate and up to date information, improves customer service, and has even said to be fun to use.

Within York County government, the Tax Assessor, Planning, and Engineering Departments have been the main users of the GIS Online website.  This has been so for a few years since most of what they do today is to review tax parcel ownership data, zoning, addresses, aerial orthophotography, traffic counts, contour topography, and much more.  When the county made this resource available to the community through the internet a large number of people responded with praise and were very pleased to have such a wealth of information at their disposal at any time they needed it.

For the departments who rely heavily on this resource, phones are ringing a little less and the hallways are a little less crowded with citizens who request information.  Instead of making car trips to the Planning Department or Courthouse, businesses or anyone in the private sector can access information over the internet that was once reserved for viewing only in a county building.  These people can now access this information from any location in the world with a computer and Internet connection.  Realtors, surveyors, legal staff, engineers, and of course citizens now save time (and subsequently their clients’ money) by using GIS Online.  People are utilizing this service at all times of the day, even late into the evening and early morning hours (5pm – 7am)!

City and County leaders have come to agree that data sharing between jurisdictional boundaries is advantageous to everyone.  This revised website allows many agencies (right now we have partnerships with the Cities of Rock Hill, York, and Clover) to share data with citizens through the county’s GIS Online website Internet presence.  Notice the rotating seal graphic at the upper left portion of the web page; each contributing agency is represented here.    Data shared through the website include addresses, zoning, fire hydrants, and water and sewer utilities for Rock Hill. The integration of data from multiple communities and jurisdictions presents new opportunities to address countywide issues and problems. It also aids in better informed private sector business and government decisions and enhanced coordination among governments and communities due to the seamless map integration when tapping data sources.

The following includes a few of the countless ways GIS and the GIS Online website has been used.  The County is learning more every day about new ways businesses around the region and beyond have been using the website.  We listen to our users and continually improve the website to better serve the community for the users.  If you would like to share your experiences with us by providing feedback or new ways that you are using the website, email us:  gis@yorkcountygov.com

Law Firm (Real Estate Closings or multi-office firms)

Those who use the county websites in this field typically check map numbers to determine if the taxes have been paid.  They use the address (which is all a client knows most of the time) to look up the tax number and property information.  They then use this information to do further land records research.  Multi-office firms dealing with commercial real estate transactional matters, telecommunication work and corporate holdings glean information from property cards, zoning and often need the surrounding property owners listed for notification purposes.     Occasionally there are firms with specific needs who access information found on the county websites.  For example an attorney with a transportation case may need maps showing roads and features in the vicinity of the transportation corridor.  The traffic count layer may also get utilized in these cases to provide the experts with information about the road before they testify.

Real Estate

Those who use the county websites in this field typically perform research through the GIS mapping and online taxes website.  Before meeting with a potential customer they can be one step ahead by knowing how large their property site is, how the house sits on the property (building footprint), outbuildings, and what their taxes are.  The GIS Online website is often used first if realtors only have partial information about a property, for example, an address.  After performing an address search they can then obtain tax map numbers and "backtrack" their way into the location of a property to be researched.  Realtors frequently use the York County GIS Online to print out a map of the parcel of property that is for sale and locate the owners of properties that may be vacant. 

Residential Security Service

Neighborhood security officers use the GIS Online website to help them obtain information about property such as who actually owns land and to determine if any foreclosures are present.

Environmental Company

Environmental companies use the GIS Online website and often go a step further and download GIS data for use on their own desktop.  These firms make maps depicting sites containing possible sources of contamination.  They can use orthophotography to view how the land looked over time and can then observe changes in land use.  They can overlay base map data provided by the county to make vicinity maps (land parcels with adjacent owners, zoning, water features such as lakes and creeks, roads).  Once they have base maps they can add information they have collected such as the location of monitoring wells, water table surface contours, contaminant isoconcentration contours, soil excavation, link to laboratory data to map features and much more.

Limousine or Taxi Service

The transportation industry uses the website to obtain up to date street and subdivision information that usually is never present in the larger map services found on the internet (Yahoo, Mapquest, Rand McNally). 

Real Estate Appraiser

Those who use the county websites in this business use the GIS Online website every day to look up tax information such as tax numbers, tax records, plats, tax amounts, tax values, and the zoning or census information of the property.   Many appraisers found that the websites save them from putting hundreds of miles on their vehicles since they don’t have to travel to the courthouse to research county records.

Real Estate Paralegal

Paralegals use the websites daily to locate property, tax map numbers, deed and other land records. 

Lien Company

A lien company uses the County websites to perform property research and obtain parcel numbers, owner information, and lot numbers to prepare liens they file on properties.  Often they only have partial information about a property and the website assists by allowing them to navigate or pan and zoom in an area using the aerial images and street names.

Utility Company

Utility companies have found the website useful since they can verify information the county holds against their customers address and street information. 

Others

Florists may use the website to determine where to send a delivery.  The county updates its street maps weekly since growth is so rapid within York County.  Companies sending mailers could obtain owners and their mailing address for an entire subdivision using the county’s website.  Shopping locations, churches, restaurants and other points of interest can be found by using the GIS Online Website.  Parents taking a child to a birthday party may consult the county GIS Online website for directions to that new subdivision with roads that are difficult to navigate around before getting into a car full of children ready for fun and getting lost.  Land developers may reference the hydrants found on GIS Online website map to review the gallons per minute of the closest water line near a potential project.  A check cashing company may use the mapping website to find people or use the taxes online to look up contact information for delinquent customers by vehicle.