Houston County Tax Assessors Office has selected Keck & Wood, Inc., a long time leader in GIS and an ESRI Business Partner, to migrate their existing Autodesk mapping system to ESRI's ArcGIS suite. The Assessors Office is very excited about the migration and working with Keck & Wood, Inc. By making use of ArcGIS 9.2's abilities, this migration will greatly improve the capabilities and efficiencies of the Assessors Office mapping personnel. All of which will lead to improved service to those in the County.

The migration will include replacing existing Autodesk software and adding a new ArcGIS server. Keck & Wood plans to replace the County's existing Autodesk Map software with ArcEditor. ArcEditor is a powerful GIS editing and analysis tool. It allows for single user as well as multi-user editing when used within a workgroup or enterprise environment. ArcEditor gives users access to quality control measures such as topologies, domains, and subtypes which help to ensure data is entered in to the GIS correctly. This will also eliminate the need for the Assessors Office to convert data from DWG format to shapefiles in order to share data with other departments within the County, such as Planning and Zoning, which are already using ArcGIS software. This conversion is a multi-step process that can take several hours.

Rhonda Whitener, the GIS Specialist for the Assessors Office, said "I am very excited about this change. It will make updating the maps and the website much simpler. Plus I will be able to get information to our field appraisers and other officials much faster."

Keck & Wood will be installing a new ArcGIS Server Basic Edition which includes ESRI's spatial database engine (ArcSDE) technology. This will give the County a single location to store and manage its GIS information. It will also improve the flow of data from the server to the workstation reducing lag times and increasing editing efficiency. Lastly, ArcGIS Server will give the County the ability to grow its GIS capability by allowing a multi-user workgroup environment.

The County's existing MapGuide Internet/Intranet server will be replaced with ArcGIS Server Workgroup Standard edition which includes ArcSDE and ArcIMS technology. In order to get updated information to this site, Rhonda Whitener, GIS Specialist for Houston County Assessors Office, must convert the map data from DWG format to either SDF files or Shapefiles. The use of ArcGIS Server eliminates the need to convert data. ArcGIS server also makes use of database replication technology. This means that as data is updated on the main GIS server, it will periodically be copied to the internet server automatically allowing the Assessors Office GIS personnel to concentrate on their primary job, keeping the tax maps up to date.

Keck & Wood, Inc. will also be providing training and support as part of the migration. Rhonda Whitener has already completed the Introduction to ArcGIS I and Introduction to ArcGIS II training classes taught by Tripp Corbin, an ESRI Authorized Instructor and the director of Keck & Wood's GIS department. According to Mr. Corbin, "Rhonda has been able learn the software very quickly. Her past mapping experience was a big help. Rhonda will be able to begin using the new ESRI system quickly once the migration is completed, ensuring the County gets a fast return on their investment."

About Keck & Wood, Inc.

Founded in 1954, Keck & Wood, Inc., is a multidiscipline consulting firm engaged in providing a diverse range of professional services in the areas of civil engineering, environmental engineering, natural gas engineering, surveying, community planning, mapping, GIS, and related technical disciplines. Keck & Wood currently employs a staff of more than 80 loyal employees and maintains offices in Duluth and Carrollton, Georgia, and Rock Hill, South Carolina.

As an ESRI Authorized Business Partner, Keck & Wood is an authorized consultant, value-added reseller, and developer of ESRI products. For more information about the products and services offered by Keck & Wood please visit our website at www.keckwood.com.