ParcelExplorer

ParcelExplorer brings innovative functionality to the exploration of parcel maps. Containing the records for all land parcels in Philadelphia, ParcelExplorer combines geographic searches with historical and contemporary parcel-level data.

Client: City of Philadelphia, Department of Records

Challenge: The Department of Records (DoR) maintains the City of Philadelphia’s official parcel records on a series of linen registry maps covering the entire city. The 5,500 plus maps overlap each other and are drawn at completely different scales, making them difficult to match. The City converted these maps to a digital parcel system, but while this was useful, there was continued demand for the old linen maps. Though cumbersome, important annotations had been lost in the conversion to a digital parcel map. Since the linen maps had been scanned, there was an opportunity to create a system that would combine the best aspects of both the digital parcels and the old linen maps.

Solution: Avencia developed ParcelExplorer, a web-based application which enables users to find, view, and analyze information for parcels throughout the city. More than just a parcel mapping system, ParcelExplorer not only provides access to the digital parcels, it uses an innovative data structure to track both regular property rights and special rights such as transportation, easements, air, and ground rights. It also tracks the history of each parcel’s geometric configuration such that, as parcels are altered, the history of the original geometry is stored and can be retrieved through the system. A suite of tools provides users the ability to not only navigate, but also annotate and measure elements of the interactive maps. Further, the system is able to display the scanned versions of the original linen registry maps, retaining the texture and hand written annotation of the historical documents. ParcelExplorer also includes a subscription system, whereby non-City employees pay a fee for its use, generating revenue for the DoR.

Outcomes: ParcelExplorer provides users easy access to parcel-level data from several different agencies. City employees and real estate professionals use the system to identify parcels, easements, transportation parcels, and right-of-way parcels. Each parcel is also tied to related information from the Board of Revision of Taxes, providing information crucial to understanding property values and real estate trends. In its first few months, the system had attracted hundreds of subscribers and generated $15,000 in revenue for the City to support improvements to the city’s GIS infrastructure and highlighting the importance of the services it provides.

Considerable excitement has also been generated by the system’s ability to display the historic registry maps. So much so that the DoR has formed an agreement with the Free Library of Philadelphia to display historic maps from one of the finest map collections in the world. This will make ParcelExplorer not only a tool for real estate professionals but a valuable resource for historians seeking to understand changes in land use as Philadelphia’s rich history unfolded.

Website:
Click on "Demo Button" or "Fact Sheet" at: http://citymaps.phila.gov/ParcelExplorer/