Digital parcel mapping will facilitate the calculation of potential damages that are caused by flooding, erosion, and low water impacts. Digital parcel mapping in a GIS environment can be overlaid on the base mapping, the projected bluff line retreat, and the high water mapping. Digital parcel mapping that is linked to the tax roll database will provide a value to each parcel that will be used in the potential damage calculations.

Results from future land use projections can be integrated into the parcel mapping to project future land uses and thus, future damages.

USACE Detroit District has worked with Allegan County and Western Michigan University to complete digital parcel mapping in Allegan County. The parcel mapping was registered to the 1999 digital orthophotos and were made GIS-ready for use in the economic damage assessment. Allegan County linked the parcel data to the tax assessors database, which provides a base economic value for damage assessment calculations. The figure below presents an example parcel map with some of the associated data.

In Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin has gathered digital parcel mapping data for Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties. Ozaukee County should be completed in early 2001.

Digital parcel mapping data linked to tax roll database for all prototype counties is expected to be completed in 2001. Future efforts will focus on the remaining Lake Michigan counties. In 2001, the University of Wisconsin will focus on southeast Wisconsin counties and Kewaunee County.

In 2000, the University of Wisconsin continued their work in acquiring and integrating digital parcel mapping from local governments for a 1000-meter zone along the Lake Michigan coast in Wisconsin. Issues that UW has confronted and worked through include file documentation, software format, compilation method, coordinate system and datum, data structure, and status of coding digital parcel mapping with parcel numbers to allow integration with tax roll databases. Through August 2000, digital parcel mapping has been integrated for 490 of 540 Lake Michigan shoreline miles in Wisconsin (91 percent). A linkage between tax roll data and digital parcel mapping has been made for 380 of 540 Lake Michigan shoreline miles (71 percent). This has allowed for analysis of economic damages along the Wisconsin shoreline to begin. Efforts to complete the integration and linkages of digital parcel mapping and tax roll databases on Lake Michigan coastal areas in Wisconsin will continue in 2001.Click for more details about digital parcel mapping and tax roll databases on Lake Michigan coastal areas.

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