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July 18, 2005
Cool Tool
Today's NYTimes has an interesting article on the growing use of linking data to interactive map services like Google Earth. These are not only useful, but fun to just play around with. (Though I wish they'd get some higher resolution photos of our area. Hint, hint.)
The city of Bentonville's website has something similar....an interactive GIS city map that has tons of valuable information. I've been using it a lot lately to research homes for sale that we're considering. Not only does it have current information like zoning, sewer & water line locations, lot values and such, but it will also display city planning information and other very useful stuff.
For example, I'd found a house in our price range, on a large lot in an area we'd expect to increase in value due to future city plans. However when I added the FEMA flooding information filter, I discovered that there were substantial issues with most of the lot....which would've greatly increased its homeowner's insurance rates, among other things. Saved us some time & money that did.
There's nothing there that isn't publically available information. But it would've taken me days if not weeks to track it all down. With this, it's all just a mouse click away.
Pretty sweet.
Posted by Rita at July 18, 2005 04:30 AM