Geographic Information System Office

Overview

Hanover County’s Geographic Information System (GIS) program became operational in 1995. The program was originally developed in conjunction with implementation of the County's Enhanced 911 system, but has expanded into all areas of the County's government operations. The County’s GIS originally included 14 planimetric-based geographic data layers (roads, buildings, topography, etc.), street centerlines, street addresses, and tax parcel boundaries. These data layers were derived from digital orthophotography (aerial photography).

GIS in Hanover is generally a centralized program with four GIS staff providing services to all Departments and making GIS data available to all County staff and the public. The GIS Office is located in Room 205 of the Wickham Building at 7497 County Complex Road, Hanover, Va 23069. GIS staff can be reached at (804) 365-6811. Kevin Nelson is the County's GIS Manager. GIS data and maps are available for purchase (see link and example map pdf files below).

The GIS Office also coordinates the County's survey monumentation program. The County has documented 44 physical survey monuments across the County (some are located in adjacent Counties). Please contact the GIS Office to obtain a hard copy or digital (pdf file) inventory of the monuments.

Public Access to GIS Data

The primary goal of the County's GIS program is to provide a service to County staff and the public by making GIS and associated attribute data available in a user-friendly environment. This has been accomplished through the use of internet technology. The GIS web site, which has been on-line since September 2000, offers citizens the ability to locate County property by tax parcel number or street address and provides ownership and assessment information about the property. The web site, which is updated monthly, logs hundreds of thousands of transactions each month with tens of thousands of these being property queries.

Data Layers

Additional data layers have been developed over time, including: historic and battlefield sites; government facility locations; zoning and conditional use permits; various districts (schools, election, fire/ems, sheriff beats); tower sites; comprehensive plan land use; public utilities (water and sewer); and flood plains. The County has also incorporated GIS data from outside sources including: soils; economic development sites; census tracts; wetlands (NWI); and transportation analysis zones. To date the GIS program has nearly 300 data layers available to County staff for their use that contain thousands of attribute data fields. The GIS office updates many of these GIS data layers on a regular basis (addresses, streets, tax parcels, zoning, utilities, etc.) and others periodically (topography, building footprints, etc.).

Hard Copy Map Products

The GIS Office produces numerous standard maps that are available to the public.

County Street Map (free) - two-sided wall map that labels all streets in the County and locates prominent facilities.

Tax, Zoning, Topographic Maps - 271 full size (30"x42") maps per set all based on the same index grid (maps are available via hard copy or in pdf format (tax map sample), ( zoning map sample), (topographic map sample).

Detailed Street Map Book - 250 page book that contains 180 maps showing all streets and addresses in the County (map book page sample), and a 60 page street name index.

Other hard copy and digital map products are available for purchase including district maps and aerial photography.

GIS Operating Environment

The County’s GIS, which uses ArcGIS and Arcview software, operates in a server-based environment running a Windows-based operating system. The GIS uses the SDE/Sql relational database management system. The premise behind the GIS program is to leverage data being maintained in other County information systems, such as ownership and assessment data, and present that data in a graphic format (map). Various County data resources are routinely downloaded and linked to GIS data layers, so that users can simply click on a map to obtain necessary information about the item. GIS data has become an integral part of several overall County management information system applications. GIS attribute and map data is routinely downloaded to support Building Permits, Utility Billing, Work Order Management, Code Enforcement, Plan of Development Review, and Public Safety (E-911 dispatch and sheriff incident reporting) applications. GIS web pages were developed using ArcIMS software.

Comments on this page should be forwarded to Kevin R. Nelson, Hanover County GIS Manager.