System and method of geospatially mapping topological regions and displaying their attributes

• US 7,085,650 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2004
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GIS Data Resources Incorporated
• Original Assignee: GIS Data Resources Incorporated
• Inventors: Anderson, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taylor, Victor J.
• Application Number:
  US11/123,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20050209781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 702 1- 6, 702/150, 707/6, 707/104.1, 707/100, 707/3, 707/103.R, 701/201, 701/209
• US Class Current: 702/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models

Abstract

A geographical information system and a method are disclosed for geospatially mapping a least one parcel polygon within a geographical region and for displaying at least one specific attribute of each parcel polygon, i.e. a topological area within the given geographical region, as an attached attribute of latitude and longitude coordinates. The centroid or center point of each of the parcel polygons is determined and stored into conventional computer storage means. The latitude and longitude point feature at the centroid of each parcel polygon is established and similarly stored. A unique tax identification number, e.g. the Assessor Parcel Number (APN) or Parcel Identifier Number (PIN), is assigned to each of the point features. A correlation is then made between the unique tax identification number of the point feature to a text list of at least one attribute, e.g., the physical address of the parcel polygon, of each of the point features. This attribute becomes attached to each point feature. The resulting parcel polygon map and point features with one or more of the attached attributes can then be displayed within a GIS or CAD system to provide the user, for example, accurate locations of street addresses for use in environments that require pinpoint accuracy, such as emergency response.

Claims

1. A method for geospatially mapping at least one parcel polygon within a geographical region and for displaying at least one specific attribute of each parcel polygon as an attached attribute of latitude and longitude coordinates comprising the steps of:

a) digitally scanning paper records of surveyed parcel polygon data of at least the geographical region and the latitude and longitude coordinates of that region and storing the data as a parcel polygon database into a computer memory;

(b) obtaining and storing as a digital map database into a computer memory a digital map of at least the geographical region and the latitude and longitude coordinates of that geographical region;

(c) displaying images of the parcel polygon lines of the parcel polygon database of step (a) and the digital map database of step (b);

(d) overlaying an image of a digital map from the digital map database corresponding to the parcel polygon lines of at least one parcel polygon from the parcel polygon database onto the image of the at least one parcel polygon to form a parcel polygon map using as a reference the latitude and longitude coordinates for that geographical region;

(e) determining the geometric centroid of the at least one parcel polygon on said parcel polygon map that has an assigned unique tax identification number and establishing the latitude and longitude for the derived centroid point feature;

(f) removing the parcel polygon lines from said parcel polygon map and digitally attaching a single latitude and longitude point feature to the at least one parcel polygon;

(g) overlaying a digitized geo-referenced orthophotograph of that geographical region containing latitude and longitude markers onto the resulting parcel polygon map of step (f) to verify the accuracy the accuracy of said parcel polygon map and that a structure having a physical address exits on the at least one parcel polygon;

(h) storing at the physical address of the structure as at least one of the attributes for the at least one parcel polygon in a text list in a computer memory;

(i) correlating the unique tax identification number for each derived centroid point feature of the at least one parcel polygon with the physical address of the structure as the at least one attribute of that point feature from the text list of step (h);

(j) digitally correcting the derived centroid point feature having at least the physical address attribute so that the centroid point is within the periphery of the structure; and

(k) displaying the resulting parcel polygon map with the physical address as the at least one attribute for the at least one parcel polygon.

2. A geographic information system for geospatially mapping at least one parcel polygon within a geographical region and for displaying at least one specific attribute of each parcel polygon as an attached attribute of latitude and longitude coordinates comprising:

a) a parcel polygon database stored in a computer memory comprising digitally scanned paper records of surveyed parcel polygon data of at least the geographical region and the latitude and longitude coordinates of that region;

(b) a map database stored in a computer memory comprising a digital map of at least the geographical region and the latitude and longitude coordinates of that region;

(c) at least one output device for displaying images of the lines of the parcel polygons of database (a) and the digital map of database (b);

(d) overlay means for overlaying an image of a digital map corresponding to the lines of at least one parcel polygon onto the image of said polygon to form a parcel polygon map using as a reference the latitude and longitude coordinates for the region;

(e) geometric algorithmic means for determining the geometric centroid of the at least one parcel polygon on said parcel polygon map that has an assigned unique tax identification number and for establishing the latitude and longitude for the derived centroid point feature;

(f) attaching means for removing the parcel polygon lines from said parcel polygon map and for attaching a single latitude and longitude point feature to each parcel polygon;

(g) said overlaying means also overlays a digitized geo-referenced orthophotograph of the geographical region containing latitude and longitude markers onto the resulting parcel polygon map of attaching means (f) to verify the accuracy of the parcel polygon map and that a structure having a physical address exits on the at least one parcel polygons;

(h) storage means for a text list of at least the physical address of the structure as at least one of the attributes for each parcel polygon according to its assigned unique tax identification number;

(i) correlation means for correlating and attaching the unique tax identification number for each derived centroid point feature of said parcel polygon map to at least one attribute of that point feature from said text list stored in storage means (h) where the physical address of the structure is the at least one attribute;

wherein the centroid point feature is corrected so that the centroid point is within the periphery of the structure before said at least one output device is capable of displaying the resulting parcel polygon map from correlation means (i) with the attached attribute.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising an attribute database for the text list of attributes for each parcel polygon within the geographical region and a search engine for matching the resulting parcel polygon map based on any of a plurality of attributes from the text list.