Poinsett County Assessor’s office works with EAST program

AAC FEATURE

Poinsett County assessor’s office partners with local EAST program on mapping projects

Story by Holland Doran Photo by Christy L. Smith AAC Communications Staff

The concept of a geographic information system (GIS) would be lost on most adults. But it’s not lost on Harrisburg Elementary School students Emily Wigginton and Havanna Kocher.

Through a partnership between the school’s Environmental and Spatial Technology, Inc. (EAST) program and the Poinsett County assessor’s office, Emily, a sixth grader, and Havanna, an eighth grader, mapped out the city of Harrisburg using the GIS, ArcMap.

EAST Facilitator Karla Garrison guided the students through the project, and Kevin Pruett, GIS analyst at Total Assessments Solutions Corp., provided technical training. Poinsett County Assessor John Hutchison, and Appraiser and GIS Technician Matt Miller served as the project support and local manager.

The partnership between the assessor’s office and the EAST program developed when Garrison assigned the students to choose a community partner and improve something in their office.

“The girls had worked with GIS in the past, and they wanted to do something a little more challenging, so they contacted the assessor’s office to see if they had anything they needed,” Garrison said.

Hutchison had just the project. Some of the assessor’s maps and geographic information were 20 to 30 years old. Many boundary lines, alleys and subdivisions were incorrect. He asked the students to update the maps using the GIS.

Navigating the intricacies of the GIS, ArcMap, is not for the faint of heart, said Pruett, who trained the students on how to use the program to convert raster-based maps into vector files using a georeferencing process to map out neighborhoods, blocks and lots.

By correcting the maps, Emily and Havanna significantly helped the county, Miller said.

“We now have a better mapping system for the office and for the public,” he said. “It will assist code enforcement officers in the cities.”

The students also benefited from the project by gaining realworld experience, Garrison said.

“It has taught these girls that there is so much more than going to school and learning math and reading,” she said. “They are able to use all these skills and all subject areas for one project. This is where it matters.”

Hutchison is a strong proponent of involving students in community work. “I want to encourage other assessors to connect with their EAST programs,” he said. Emily said she has gained confidence through the experience. “This project was extremely important to me,” she said. “It was very sophisticated and a huge accomplishment. I have always struggled with my confidence, but by doing this project it helped me to believe in myself.” Havanna said the project helped develop her presentation skills. “This project has taught me a whole new side to GIS,” she said. “I have learned so many new things that I can use in projects to come. Not only has this project helped me learn new things about GIS, but it also helped me with my presentation skills because I was able to share with so many at the assessors’ conference.” The students discussed their mapping work at the Arkansas County Assessor’s Association Conference in November 2017. Hutchison presented Emily, Havanna, Garrison, and Pruett plaques to honor their hard work. Emily and Havanna are planning on mapping the city of Trumann, which is the largest city in Poinsett County, for their next project.

Poinsett County Assessor John Hutchison (far right) recognizes during the November 2017 conference of Arkansas County Assessors (from left to right) Harrisburg Elementary School EAST Facilitator Karla Garrison, EAST students Emily Wigginton and Havanna Kocher, and GIS Analyst Kevin Pruett of Total Assessment Solutions Corp. for their work in remapping cities located in the county.