Process Description:
Current mapping methodologies have been in effect since 2001. Current Mapping Methodologies: Currently, all newly acquired Green Acres state open space and Green Acres locally funded open space properties are entered into the GIS using a certified survey of the property’s boundaries as prepared by a licensed land surveyor. All surveys submitted to Green Acres must be NJSPCS NAD83 with a POB of north and east in US survey feet to two decimal places. ArcGIS is used to facilitate the incorporation of these surveyed CAD files into this Open Space data set. every effort is made to enter the surveys within a timely fashion. Rarely used, NAD27 and Non-NJSPC certified surveys also provide the best parcel shape but not position. We use a “best fit” method for these particular surveys whereby they are repositioned on-screen to fit existing features on aerial imagery and/or adjacent open space parcels or tax parcels. If interior tax lot lines are omitted on either type of survey, then they are added either by using boundaries from the NJ tax parcels layer or they are added on-screen and "best fit" with the aerial imagery. Comparisons are made to determine which is more accurate. Another methodology for mapping surveys and deeds is using COGO in the ArcGIS. This is used when there is an approved survey but no CAD file is available. It involves manually entering the bearings and distances directly in the feature class using the COGO tool. Older state land purchases and Green Acres unfunded encumbered lands that are listed on an approved ROSI are the most common instances where a survey is not available. The mapping methodology for these non-surveyed parcels involves using the digital tax parcel layer which is maintained by the Office of Information Technology (OIT). When the digital tax parcels are not the most up to date source then digital tax maps are acquired and used for parcel delineations. This process involves using a scanned digital tax map(s) as a .tif file and then georeferencing and rectifying the file in the ArcGIS with the most up to date aerial imagery as a base map and finally digitizing the boundary into the open space feature class. Infrequently, the "on-screen" method is used which means it was digitized on-screen in ArcMap using the most up to date digital imagery as a base layer and any available adjacent open space parcels. Examples of these obvious boundaries can include easements, roads, rights of ways, railroads, canals, watercourses as parcel boundaries. Previous mapping methodologies: Prior to 1995 all mapping methodologies for funded as well as unfunded open space lands involved using paper copies of tax maps scaled to fit a hard copy mylar quad (24,000 scale) or quarter quad (12,000 scale) aerial image as an overlay on a digitizing table and digitized with ArcInfo. From 1995-2000 surveys were used intermittently for Green Acres funded open space lands. From 2001 to date, all funded lands were entered into this data set with surveys approved using Green Acres standards.