I recently came across this little gem of an article on one of the larger statewide news websites here in Maine. The article really makes it sound like the City of Bangor's G.I.S. website is a groundbreaking product when it is really the Bangor tax maps overlaid on aerial photos. My favorite quote from the article relates to the power of the new G.I.S. website: “For a typical resident, it helps them see where the property lines fall, especially, if they want to put up a fence or something,” Gambrel explained." You will notice my comment at the end of the article, which was later replied to by a gentleman who would prefer to do his own surveying and take the risk of establishing a fence on the wrong property. Unfortunately, I was not able to reply to him as the comment period for the article were closed. I guess I will let sleeping fences lie.
May have helped if I posted the link: http://bangordailynews.com/2012/08/10/news/bangor/bangor-updates-city-website-to-include-property-lines-buildings/
But he's a "geographic information specialist" 😉 Anything to save a buck.
It's just mischief making.
And making more work for surveyors down the road. I suppose the GIS department is going to pay for the fence and survey if they are wrong. Right?
Let's all email the engineering department
engineering@bangormaine.gov
But, they have the required "disclaimer"!
Let's all email the engineering department
Pierce County has a pretty good disclaimer, most people don't pay to much attention though.....
> Disclaimer: The map features are approximate and are intended only to provide an indication of said feature. Additional areas that have not been mapped may be present. This is not a survey. The County assumes no liability for variations ascertained by actual survey. ALL DATA IS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED 'AS IS' AND 'WITH ALL FAULTS'. The County makes no warranty of fitness for a particular purpose. 2012/08/12
Reading the article comments, I see one of our biggest problems:
"I recently put up a fence in my backyard. I called a surveyor to see what it would cost to locate one side lot line of my 1/8 acre in-town lot in the gridded portion of town. The estimate was over $1000, which I wasn't going to pay for a $250 fence."
"Its quite possible that the fence is slightly on my neighbor's land, and if he ever wants to pay over $1000 to verify that, I will gladly remove it. Point being that if you talk to a surveyor they will often tell you that everything needs surveyed, but sometimes its just not sensible."
People don't seem to value our services unless or until there is a problem. For some reason paying $1000 to know where the boundaries of their biggest investment are doesn't concern them very much.
What other things do people buy without knowing really knowing what they're buying? and this is probably the biggest ticket item anyone ever buys.
It makes no sense at all.
I have helped permit several projects where the permit is more expensive than the project.
