GeoTRIVIA: Spring 2009

1.   What percentage of U.S. counties have converted their land parcel data to a digital format?

According to the National Academy of Sciences, only about a third of U.S. counties have converted their land parcel data to digital formats. Those counties cover about 70 percent of all parcels in the country. The remaining 30 percent of parcels are in roughly 2,000 rural counties and often exist as lines on paper maps stored in local courthouses. The lack of nationally integrated land parcel data has led to duplication of effort among various levels of government and between the public and private sector. A nationally integrated digital land parcel data system could alleviate much of this redundancy and ensure that government and industry can readily access accurate information about all areas of the country when needed.

The benefits to having complete digital coverage of land parcel data in the United States are many. Here are just a few examples:

• Agencies and organizations can use land parcel data to analyze what’s in a wildfire’s path.
• After hurricanes or tornadoes, parcel data can tell you about specific affected properties, utilities that require restoration, and who’s eligible for disaster recovery funds.
• Insurance companies need parcel data to determine if houses are in a floodplain.

Land parcel data helps firefighters know what lies in a wildfire’s path and where they should focus their firefighting efforts. Red indicates immediate fire danger, and the black triangles indicate building parcel data.

Source: Image courtesy of US Forest Service, Wildland Fire Decision Support System; map creator, Kevin Hyde, Colllins Consulting

2.   Which state currently uses the LOCATION® Premium Tax Service for auditing and will require its Department of Insurance to approve all premium tax assignment products?

Kentucky. The Kentucky Department of Insurance has been using LOCATION® Premium Tax Service for market conduct and auditing since 2007. The recent state regulations require that, starting January 1, 2010, all insurance companies with more than 2,000 policies must use a risk location system verified by the Kentucky Department of Insurance for premium tax assignment in the state of Kentucky.

3.   Can a lake or a river be a creditable water source for the fire department and contribute to a property getting a better Public Protection Classification (PPCTM)?

Dry hydrants are often installed to facilitate fire department access to a static water supply source.

The Fire Suppression Rating Schedule (FSRS) allows credit of a static water supply source such as a lake or a river, provided it meets certain requirements. The water source must be available 365 days a year and deliver 250 gallons per minute (gpm) for a two-hour duration within five minutes of the arrival of the first fire apparatus. To support that requirement, the community may need to provide documentation by a registered engineer to certify the water capacity available during a 50-year drought cycle. Any property within 1,000 feet of a creditable static water supply source may be eligible for a protection class better than Class 9, provided the building is within five road miles of a responding fire station and the community has obtained 20 percent credit or more under the FSRS.

4.    Is it true that the number of neighborhood violent crimes rises as the foreclosure rate increases?

This county map shows clusters of foreclosures in Charlotte neighborhoods where police officers tracked increases in blight, crime, and disorder.

The news media have documented the relationship between foreclosures and crime. And research conducted by Immergluck and Smith in Chicago shows a statistical connection. For each percentage point increase in the foreclosure rate, neighborhood violent crime increased 2.3 percent. Current foreclosures have not only occurred in inner-city or low-income neighborhoods but also in surburban, middle-income neighborhoods. The foreclosure crisis has fueled theft, drugs, vandalism, vagrancy, and arson in those areas.

One example of this phenomenon is in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) studied the effects of foreclosures on Charlotte neighborhoods. In one analysis, they mapped foreclosure locations (shown on the map above) and observed that clusters of foreclosures occurred where officers observed increases in blight, crime, and disorder. The CMPD also analyzed rates of violent crime, property crime, and 911 service calls and found that violent crime rose consistently in high-foreclosure neighborhoods and remained significantly lower in low-foreclosure neighborhoods.

5.   Most states define windpool area boundaries by geographic features, such as county boundaries, highways, or distance to coastline. What state uses a specific parallel of latitude to separate windpool and non-windpool areas?

South face of the Ellicott Stone, which reads “Dominio De S. M. Carlos IV, Lat.31., 1799,” established by the joint U.S./Spanish survey party on April 10, 1799.

Alabama. The 31st parallel of north latitude, also known as St. Stephens Baseline, separates the windpool-eligible areas (south of the parallel) from the noneligible areas.

That parallel delineated the boundary between Spanish territory and the United States in the early 19th century and served as the southern boundary for all townships and ranges laid out by the U.S. Deputy Land Surveyors from 1803 until after 1813. The survey of the townships south of St. Stephens Baseline didn’t begin until after 1813. The Ellicott Stone in Alabama’s Mobile County is an international boundary marker and the point of intersection now known as the St. Stephens Meridian and the St. Stephens Baseline.

The map shows where the Ellicott Stone sandstone monolith is located in Mobile County, Alabama — on the west side of the Mobile River north of Le Moyne, Alabama.

Source: Alabama Society of Professional Land Surveyors