Put Your Association on the Map with GIS By Lynn Boergerhoff
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lmost everything you know about your association can be geographically referenced; linked to real-world objects, at specific locations and times. Geographic Information System (GIS) software can create and share computer maps that make information visual and easier to understand. Maps can help association boards and property managers govern, manage operations and build community.
What is GIS?
A Geographic Information System is a software application that uses symbols (called features) on computer maps that represent objects in the real world. Some examples of symbols include a point (light pole or fire hydrant), a line (buried cable or retaining wall) or a polygon (building or water body). A GIS has two powerful capabilities. First, a GIS can join two types of information: spatial data and attribute data. Spatial data are information about a feature’s shape, location and relationship to other features. With this capability, a GIS can measure distance, calculate area and change map scales to show your association in your city, the homes within your association or plants in a landscape bed. Attribute data are qualities or characteristics that distinguish one feature from another. For example, attributes of a landscape bed may be area in square feet, type of cover (rock or mulch) and type of plants. A second powerful capability of GIS digital maps is the flexibility to create and change the map’s content and appearance of features
to clarify your purpose and improve understanding. Features can have different shapes, sizes or colors to show different characteristics. Time-series maps can show how features change over time.
Creating Association Maps with GIS
Creating GIS maps requires working with a GIS application, spreadsheet-like tables and a web browser. GIS applications use familiar mouse and keyboard commands to select actions from menus and toolbars. QGIS (www.qgis.org), a free and open-source GIS, was used to create the accompanying maps. You can begin to create a GIS map by importing an aerial photograph or satellite image of your association into the GIS application. With the image as a visual reference on the computer screen, GIS drawing tools are used to create point, line and polygon features. The GIS creates maps by overlaying the desired features with special symbols and colors needed for the map’s purpose as in Figure 1. The computer maps can then be printed, inserted into documents, published to the web, shared through social media or changed again to create new maps.
GIS in Association Governance
Boards and property managers may need to consider information from many sources to make decisions. Here are three examples of using GIS in board governance. •
A GIS map can help manage rainwater run-off and erosion by combining the association’s land surface elevation and the location of city storm sewer pipes to help assess the need for the association to install additional storm water drain pipes (Map 1).
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GIS can help association boards prepare for disasters by identifying buildings, common areas and amenities at risk (for example, which buildings are more prone to flooding); by documenting losses; and by planning for repair and replacement.
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Association boards can use GIS maps to visualize the possible effects of creating or changing rules and regulations that affect how residents use common areas or parking spaces.
Buildings
Trees
Land Parcels
GIS in Operations Management
GIS maps can help boards and property managers explore options, monitor ongoing services and see the results of their work. Here are three examples.
Streets
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Reality
Figure 1: Example of GIS layers 8
Minnesota Communit y Living
Map 2 shows the location of existing mailbox posts and the possible grouping of replacements into cluster mailboxes serving several homes from one location. GIS can measure walking distance from homes to find optimal groupings and mailbox placements.