Cartography

Cartography is the study and science of representing real-world entities on maps. Cartography combines aesthetics and science to communicate spatial information in two or three dimensions. [source]

Read more on this topic and how it relates to Tallahassee - Leon County GIS by reviewing the information below.

Basemaps

Cadastral Maps

The term Cadastral refers to surveys that document the boundaries of land ownership, by the production of documents, diagrams, sketches, plans (plats in USA), charts, and maps. In cooperation with the Leon County Property Appraisers Office, TLCGIS maintains a cadastral themed basemap that is specifically intended to display property boundaries, measurements, and numbering systems.

Hybrid Imagery

In our Hybrid Imagery basemap we've combined our high resolution digital ortho-photography with an overlay of streets, labels, landmarks, and boundaries to provide spatial context for the end user.

Shaded Relief

A shaded relief map uses transparency to combine a hillshade raster with a digital elevation model (DEM). This allows that both data sources can be seen merged together. The DEM provides elevation information using color shading and the hillshade provides texture to the landscape to make changes in relief more interpretable.

Street Maps

Often referred to as G-Map due to its resemblance to a google street map, the TLCGIS Street Map is a basemap that displays basic street, boundary, and landmark information from a countywide scale down to a street level scale. This map also includes rooftop address labels beginning at a typical neighborhood scale.

Production Mapping

Evidentiary Maps

TLCGIS provides printed map products that are used by the Public Defender, State Attorney, & the 2nd Judicial Circuit. These Evidentiary Maps are often used in court to assist in arguments made by each agency. TLCGIS is able to provide current imagery, accurate address data, and measurements that are integral for making cases.

Marketing Materials

TLCGIS builds applications, maps, and creates data for our customers that help serve their short and long term goals. Often, meeting these goals require the creation of marketing materials to highlight their importance. Maps and mapping applications are a great way to disseminate information to decision makers and the public. TLCGIS has worked with the Office of Economic Vitality in the creation of an Opportunity Zone prospectus to attract businesses to make long term investments in low income areas in Tallahassee/Leon County. TLCGIS has produced maps and applications for Apalachee Regional Park Cross Country events that are used by runners and coaches to familiarize themselves with race routes.

Posters

TLCGIS often works with both internal and external customers to tell stories about data. Often, our customers want our maps in the form of a poster or a page in a PDF document. Whether it be a county map displayed on a commissioner’s wall or a poster of Historic Black Churches for the Meek Eaton Black Archives at FAMU, TLCGIS is ready to create eye-catching visual displays.

Search and Rescue Maps

In an effort to provide post Hurricane Michael disaster support, TLCGIS assisted in creating Search and Rescue maps for surrounding counties that were heavily impacted by the effects of Hurricane Michael. Public Safety staff in Leon County were able to disseminate TLCGIS maps to disaster relief agencies across all levels of government from local county/city governments to FEMA.
TLCGIS has worked with FDLE to provide mapping services in cases involving time-sensitive location based analysis.

Analysis

Community Rating System

The National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum NFIP requirements. As a result, flood insurance premium rates are discounted to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from the community actions meeting the three goals of the CRS:

  1. Reduce flood damage to insurable property;
  2. Strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the NFIP, and
  3. Encourage a comprehensive approach to floodplain management.

Library Patron Analysis

TLCGIS is working with the Leon County Library system to identify the location of card holders in Leon and surrounding counties. By making patron data spatial, the Leon County Library can visualize & identify usage rates across zipcodes, determine branch location service areas, and gather insights into the communities that each branch serves.

LUCA

In an effort to support the 2020 census, TLCGIS participated in the 2018 Local Update of Census Address Operation (LUCA) & the 2020 Census New Construction Program to provide an up-to-date address list of residential addresses in the City of Tallahassee & unincorporated Leon County for the U.S. Census Bureau. In working with the Office of Economic Vitality for LUCA & the Tallahassee – Leon County Planning Department for the New Construction Program, TLCGIS has been able to provide the U.S. Census Bureau with data that is integral to providing accurate population counts for our community.

Permitting

A collaborative example of open government and citizen awareness, the Tallahassee - Leon County Permit Portal provides a single point of reference for permitting, licensing, and contracting for citizens and the contractor community. This permit portal is an amalgamation of the best uses of Web Development and Web GIS.

Site Selection Analysis

Site selection analysis has been performed by TLCGIS as a part of ongoing support to our interlocal customers. Whether it be assisting Leon County Real Estate locating a suitable location for a new park or DSEM with identifying land suitable for solar farms, TLCGIS provides GIS based solutions to solve problems faced by local government.

Stormwater

Since 2010, Tallahassee-Leon County GIS (TLCGIS) has harness the spatial and analytical of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to expedite the Non-Ad Valorem fee assessment processes which includes storm water and solid waste fees. Having developed a comprehensive process which takes advantage of many different sources of pertinent data and the analytical capabilities of GIS, TLCGIS has reduced staff time while achieving accurate assessments each year it has been implemented. Although the assessment analyses are completed by TLCGIS, the assessment process would not be complete without the assistance of Leon County Public Works, Leon County Department of Develop Support and Environmental Management, Leon County OMB and the Leon County Attorney’s Office under the direction of Leon County Administration.

Tools

Geocoders

A geocoder provides the process within a geographic information system to establish a location within a two or three-dimensional context based on street address, town/city, province/state and country.

Geo Processing

Geoprocessing is a predetermined operating process that works with GIS data as inputs to produce a desired output or result.

Print Services

Print services are specialized web services that provide geoprocessing capabilities to convert map layouts comprise of GIS data into an image product like jpegs or into a digital document like a PDF.