Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is the data system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information. Geospatial information is data referenced to a place and given a set of geographic coordinates. This information can provide analysis of complex issues and challenges facing government agencies, business entities, and residential areas. GIS is/has the ability to give tabular data a positional quality on a map or a computer screen, via a system of hardware, software, and geographic data.

Whether on paper or electronic, all maps are merely abstractions. A map is an attempt to represent some aspect of reality for some specific purpose. No single map is perfect for all purposes.

The maps and data presented here are aggregated from a wide variety of sources. Care has been taken to integrate these various data sources as well as possible. However, each agency providing data may have their own internal standards for accuracy and timeliness that may affect the degree to which the various data sources agree with each other.

Thus you may find that parcel lines (from the Assessor's office) may not line up exactly with flood data (derived from FEMA maps) or census boundaries (derived from US Census maps) or with aerial photography, et cetera. Each of these data sources may be considered on their own, for their own purposes, but comparisons among them may not be directly possible, and some manual interpretation may be necessary.

Maps are also created with specific scales in mind that may limit their accuracy. For example, map data intended to be presented at a county-wide scale may have been simplified or created in a generalized manner such that fine details when zoomed in very close are not available.

There are also timing issues to contend with, as each data source may not be updated with the same frequency. Even among the Assessor's office, the data from their mapping department (parcel lines) and their data entry department (textual parcel information) may not be updated concurrently. Thus, for recently modified parcels you may find discrepancies in the data.

 

The maps presented here represent an ongoing process of data creation - they will never be finished. The underlying data is constantly changing. Every attempt has been made to keep the data as current and accurate as possible, but these maps cannot be considered an authoritative source of data. Therefore, the update cycle of GIS data is going to depend on the layer.  Some layers are updated daily while others may not change for many years.

Land parcel boundaries are updated by the Assessor’s Office on a constant basis.  Edits made are available for viewing online every Monday (not on holidays).   Address point information is updated monthly. 

Paper or digital maps are available by request. Email the GIS Department at [email protected] with map requests. If the map requires creating a new map or new data, modification of existing data or data analysis, an additional fee will be added to the cost of the map. An estimate of the amount of time and cost will be provided by a GIS staff member and agreed to by the requestor before the project is started. Completion of the map will be at the discretion of the GIS department, given that Luna County staff and other government staff requests are given priority over a public project. Payment must be made before the map is given to the customer. For details, please refer to our fee resolution.

Land boundaries are updated by the Assessor’s Office.

The information on these maps is based on the most current information available to Luna County Geographic Information Systems. The County of Luna does not warrant its accuracy or suitability for any particular purpose. The information on these maps is not intended to replace engineering, financial or primary records research.

The spatial data included on the Luna County GIS Website is intended for reference purposes only. Any use other than that intended shall be at the sole responsibility of the user. The information appearing on the Luna County GIS Website was obtained from a variety of sources, as typically identified hereon. The user acknowledges that inconsistencies, errors, and omissions may be contained within the data used to prepare our maps, and such data may originate from other sources than Luna County. By use of the Luna County GIS Website, the user further indemnifies and holds harmless Luna County for any adverse consequences resulting from the use of this website.