1. GIS Applications for Engineers
Prepared by:
Washington County Engineer’s Office
David Patterson and Jeremy McLaughlin
210 west main street
Washington, IA 52247
Iowa County Engineers Association 2007 Conference Scheman Center, Ames, Iowa
Micah Cutler
GIS Coordinator
Hardin & Franklin Counties
Matt Boeck GIS Coordinator
Story County

2. Geographic Information Systems
A GIS is a system for management, analysis, and display of geographic knowledge, which is represented using a series of information sets such as maps and globes, geographic data sets, processing and work flow models, data models, and metadata

3. “Intelligent Maps”
While a computer-aided mapping system may represent a road simply as a line, a GIS may also recognize that road as the border between wetland and urban development, or as the link between Main Street and 4th Avenue.

4. Base Map – Parcel Data

5. Parcel Data – The Beginning
Most county GIS begins with “It’s time to update our aerial photography so since we’re going to be spending a lot of money, let’s go ahead and develop a GIS.”
Usually is initiated by the Auditor’s or Assessor’s Office

6. EXPAND THE POSSIBILITIES!
Beyond the Parcel Map
Once the data conversion is complete, now what?
The county has invested a significant amount of money and resources into creating an accurate parcel base map,
EXPAND THE POSSIBILITIES!

7. Engineer Road Closure Notification

8. Engineer Road Closure Notification

9. Engineer Road Closure Notification

10. Gravel Road – Cost Estimates

11. Gravel Road – Cost Estimates

12. Geocoding Addresses – Dust Control
The office secretary maintains an excel spreadsheet of everyone in the county that has a dust control permit. This is super simple and requires no knowledge of GIS.
We produce maps (by geocoduing based on address) for each territory operator that shows his territory limits and all the dust control locations.
The maps show the 911 address of applicant and the last name.
The map shows the name of the dust control provider by a symbol.
We also provide maps to the dust control providers showing all of their customers in the county on a single map.
This helps the maintenance operators, the dust control companies, and our office to provide better service to the public.

13. Snow Routes and Territories
Snow Routes and Maintenance Territories
We have input the maintenance territories and snow routes into our GIS system. This map shows both. It allows us to produce maps and do analysis on routes. This is used regularly to answer questions from the public about an operator (i.e. who maintains my road?). It was used to balance the territories out (give each territory roughly equivalent areas). We are attempting to link this to the rock placed on each roadway segment to analyze the “tons of rock used per mile” for each operator.

14. Snow Removal Routes

15. Snow Removal Routes

16. Blade Districts

17. Blade Districts

18. AVL Integration (Automatic Vehicle Location)

19. Crash Data
Crash Data
Using IDOT S.A.V.E.R. with ARCView for Crash Data
Maps used to identify “hot spots” in the county.
Data used to do corridor studies for proposed projects.
Increasingly our maps published via PDF and made available online at

20. GPS Data Collection
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense.
Originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use.
GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day.
No subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS.

21. GPS Data Collection 3 types of GPS accuracy Recreational: meters
Mapping: sub-meter
Survey: centimeter

22. Sign Data Collection GPS sign locations along county roads.
Mapping grade GPS units are not to survey accuracy, but the main purpose of this data collection is for inventory purposes.
New GPS units have a built-in camera for taking an image of the GPS location.

23. Sign Data Collection

24. Culvert Locations GPS locations of road culverts under county roads.
Collected data as points, then “connected the dots” back in the office.

25. Culvert Locations

26. Bridge Locations and Photo

27. County Engineer’s Map County Engineer’s Map
This is a copy of a GIS map that is on the county engineer’s computer. The map is set up so that different layers pop up as you zoom in and out.
At the larger scales information is available on bridges, roads, territories, operators, maintenance shed locations, and county landmarks.
As you zoom in, those automatically layers turn off (based on scale) and new layers show up. These include street names, bridges, and 911 address markers.
As you zoom in real close those layers automatically turn off and even more layers show up. These include property lines, section lines, bridge data, road classifications, and acreages.
This map is perfect for answering phone calls and looking up quick information about right-of-way, road class, and other common questions from the public.
Map that Engineer uses for a reference or to quickly answer questions from callers and people that stop in office.
This map shows a low water crossing (constructed in 2004) and a class “C” road (reclassified in 2004). This type of information pops up automatically.
The map also has a preformatted print sheet set up so that the engineer can print out whatever he is reviewing for either the file or the public.

28. USPLS Corner Certificates
Corners are stored as a ‘point’ feature in the county GIS
Linked to a scanned image of the original document
Accessible in-house and through the Internet
Decreases foot traffic through office
Surveyors can download any time

31. New Projects for Story County
Scan and Link Road Easements to GIS Features
More public interaction on website
Click to report dead deer, sign down, etc
Consolidate data storage (SDE)
Purchase upgrades to ArcEditor software level

32. New Projects for Hardin & Franklin Counties
ArcGIS software training
Bridge and culvert data collection
County surveyor records
Grader districts
Sub drain outlets into county right-of-way
Level “B” roads
Maintenance shed locations
Roadway easements
Past and future rock hauling programs
Section corner ties
Snow removal routes
Everything Washington and Story County are doing…eventually.

33. Thank You! Micah Cutler Matt Boeck
GIS Coordinator
Hardin & Franklin Counties
(Hardin)
(Franklin)
Matt Boeck
Story County
A special thank you to Pete Buckingham, GIS Coordinator, and David Patterson and Jeremy McLaughlin with Washington County (
and Darren Moon, Assistant Engineer for Story County.
EVERYONE NEEDS SUPPORT EVERY NOW AND THEN…
EVEN THOSE WHO ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF PROVIDING SUPPORT TO OTHERS
JOIN ICIT OR ATTEND OUR CONFERENCES TO BECOME ENGAGED IN BOTH RECEIVING AND PROVIDING SUPPORT
Iowa Counties Information Technology
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This presentation is available online at the ICIT website:
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