Waukesha County recently adopted a new approach toward land information planning, and in the process has chosen to create a five-year land information plan that in concept departs significantly from previous plans. The prime factor leading to this new approach was the recognition that the goals of previous plans have been completed in their entirety. In so doing, Waukesha County is the first county in the state to fulfill the vision of the Land Information Program when it was implemented in 1990.
The stated goals of two previous plans (1991 and 1998) focused on building core information products such as survey monumentation, base maps, digital orthophotos, cadastral maps, street centerlines and addresses, and administrative boundaries. These and others data themes are the traditional components of the state’s fifteen year-old Land Information Program.
The county’s 2006 land information plan directly ties land information goals to the county’s seven “Strategic Outcomes”, which are:
- A safe county
- An economically vibrant county
- An environmentally responsible county
- A well-planned county
- A county that assists at-risk citizens
- A county that provides customers with quality programs and services
- A county that delivers cost effective services with competence and skill
Within this context, Waukesha County is identifying land information goals tied directly to the strategic outcomes. As an example, maintaining an accurate street centerline file with addresses for the county’s Communications Center directly aids the county in being a “safe county” through quick and accurate E-911 response. Also, obtaining new digital orthophotos on a regular schedule supports the strategic goal of “a well planned county” through the completion of digital shore land zoning maps.
For more information on Waukesha County’s new land information planning approach contact LIS Manager Don Dittmar.