MdProperty View   Advanced Desktop GIS to use with ESRI’s ArcGIS Software

MdProperty View is a visually accessible dataset that allows you to interact with a jurisdiction's tax maps and parcel information and a variety of additional map and data layers using the advanced features of ESRI's latest geographic information systems (GIS) software, ArcGIS®. Easy-to-use search tools help you zoom in to your area of interest on a property map and display a parcel record of interest.

Tax maps, also known as assessments, property or parcel maps, are a graphic representation of real property showing and defining individual property boundaries in relationship to contiguous real property. The primary purpose of these maps is to help State tax assessors locate properties for assessments and taxation purposes. Tax maps are also used by federal, State and local government agencies as well as private sector firms for a variety of analyses and decision making processes.

The maps contained herein are NOT to be construed or used as a "legal description". It is not a survey product and not to be used for the design, modification or construction of improvements to real property or for flood plain determination. MDP does not provide any guaranty of accuracy or completeness regarding the map information. Any errors or omissions should be reported to the Maryland Department of Planning Data Planning Services Division. In no event will MDP or the State of Maryland be liable for any damages, including but not limited to loss of data, lost profits, business interruption, loss of business information or any other pecuniary loss that might arise from the use of this map or information it contains.

See an Example of a Tax Map

The Property Mapping Section, part of MDP's Planning Data Services division, is responsible for maintaining electronic tax maps for the 23 counties in Maryland. The State's 2800+ tax maps are maintained in a combined GIS and Computer Aided Design (CAD) environment and updated on an annual cycle using new property plats and deed changes obtained from the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). These maps form the foundation for many of MDP's products and services including MdProperty View.

The tax maps in MdProperty View are linked in an intelligent way to Parcel and Sale data obtained from SDAT. When these data are combined with the power of ESRI's ArcGIS® software and MDP'S ArcGIS® custom map document file (mxd), a broad spectrum of economic, public policy and commercial analyses become possible.

A parcel record, also known as property, ownership or assessments record, is a comprehensive set of information about individual real property that incorporates parcel ownership and address information, parcel valuation information and basic information about land and structures associated with a parcel. In Maryland, SDAT maintains individual parcel records for each of the over 2 million parcels in the State that make up the MdProperty View Parcel dataset.

Solve Real-World Problems

In no time at all you will be working with Maryland property data geographically and seeing patterns you could not see before. Working geographically helps you understand the relationships between parcel data and the forces that drive your organization so you can make better decisions, identify opportunities and solve problems faster. MdProperty View includes geocoding capabilities that allow you to match your own customer and client address database records to the MdProperty View parcel points or to address information available via the MDiMAP geocoding service and to display your data on a map.

Performance and time savings are increased through the MDP's ArcGIS® custom map document file (mxd). You can easily search for, select and display properties on a map that meet specific criteria; for example, MdProperty View can generate a map showing the locations of properties in a given area that are residential, less than one-half acre in size and have an assessed value of the improvement greater than $100,000. You can display and print a tax map in combination with other map layers such as aerial photography and verify the most current information about that property on the State Department of Assessments and Taxation Real Property website. Over 250 different map layers can also be added to MdProperty View as an MDiMAP web mapping service.

What Comes with MdProperty View?

MdProperty View includes the State's computerized property (tax) maps; the x,y linkages (point or polygon) to the Parcel, Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) and Sale datasets; Parcel, CAMA and Sale data from the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT); reference grids including a grid for the property (tax) maps, an ADC map book grid, a grid for the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) road, stream and feature maps and a grid for USGS 7.5' Topographical quad maps; and additional SHA files including a digital centerline roads file, data derived from SHA digital grid maps, an SHA major roads file and a county boundary file.

Also included are land use/land cover data; congressional and legislative district boundary files; census geography and census demographic data; ZIP code boundary files; Priority Funding Area (PFA) designations; floodplain data, including DFIRM data for selected jurisdictions; protected lands boundaries; watershed data; generalized zoning designations; sewer service area boundaries; public water service area boundaries for selected jurisdictions; National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Maryland coverage; residential Sales x,y point and summary files derived from SDAT Parcel and Sale data; large-scale, high resolution color digital-ortho imagery and a custom MdProperty View ArcGIS® map document file (.mxd).

Beyond MdProperty View

Individuals or organizations wanting to perform advanced queries, analyses or reporting on parcel data will want to opt for MdProperty View. However, those who don't need to perform these advanced functions or that want to use open source software may want to consider one of MDP's other GIS related software products:

FINDER Quantum  contains the same data as MdPropertyView but is bundled with Quantum GIS (QGIS), a free downloadable user friendly Open Source Geographic Information System (GIS) licensed under the GNU General Public License.

FINDER Online is a web-based application that can be used to navigate, search, display and retrieve parcel-based information and to perform limited queries of property related data. It is not designed for advanced analysis or query functions.

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