Saturday, August 18, 2012

GIS data based on an Oil & Gas Data model

Creating GIS data based on a standard data model across the spectrum of data offerings is a challenging job. Over the last few months we, at US Land Grid, have been working hard to produce a standard data model for our GIS datasets. This means that our landgrid, our Texas Survey data, our tax parcels or surface ownership data, and our Oil and Gas wells all inherently belong to that standard data model. This is going to make it easier for you, the GIS consumer, to use and relate our data within just your software platform, or multiple GIS / mapping platforms. 


Providing useful GIS data that is easy to use and manipulate - without having to rework the data - is important to us at US Land Grid. The data we provide has been built by Oil and Gas professionals who understand the data models and needs of organizations that want accurate on-demand data.
We also believe that land grid is just that - land grid. We provide the full story of the land. This includes sections, townships, quarters, surveys, lots, abstracts, blocks, surveys and sub-surveys. In Texas, you get the comprehensive Texas land survey. In the PLSS states, you get the comprehensive public and blm land survey. We don't leave any GIS data out - especially when you look at our Texas Survey our our section township range data.
The same goes for our Tax Parcels and Surface Ownership data. It's based on the same data model allowing for easy integration and relational abilities. Currrently, we have 300+ county tax parcels, focused on Oil and Gas producing areas. One last point... we get our Tax Parcel data directly from each county assessor helps us rest easy that you will enjoy the quality and updates provided with our Surface OWnership GIS Data.
Our Oil and Gas wells are taking some time as we confirm to the standards of our multiple data GIS data model. Each state provides US Land Grid the well data, permit data and production data in different formats and different data models. This makes it challenging for us, but easpecially for GIS professionals who are trying to make the data work within organizations. Our Oil and Gas wells will be ready for release before year end, but they will be complete with consistency across our other datasets, with a full menu of attributes from completion dates to directionals. We excited to bring this special GIS dataset to you, and we think it will be enjoyed by oil and gas GIS professionals US wide.
It's hard not to focus on our data... I think one of the things that makes US Land Grid different from the others is price, and the fact that the data is delivered immediately. If you need to speak to someone you can, but you don't need to. You can buy the GIS data (which is affordable) and download it within seconds. For the oil and gas community, it's the first services focused on them that provides anything similar to this.
The story doesn't end there. Within the next twelve months you will see new offerings, both paid and complimentary, coming from US Land Grid.
The focus will remain - complete - easy to use - updated - GIS data.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Understanding the Texas Land Survey System


Understanding where land grid comes from is important. Below are some definitions to help you understand Texas land grid data a little better.

Texas does not use the Public Land Survey System. Texas has its own survey based on original Spanish Land Grants. Land grants from the State of Texas to railroad companies were often patented in blocks and sections. Some of the land transferred from the public domain by the state of Texas was surveyed and patented in units of square miles. The Texas General Land Office officially considers these units sections.
County patent survey lines from Texas General Land Office maps were interpreted as accurately as possible. In Texas, the highest level of land subdivision is the boundary of the state itself. The next level of subdivision is the Texas Railroad Districts which cover the entire state. These Spanish grants were surveyed on the metes and bounds system of measurement and are of irregular size and shape. Tracts are identified within a block by a unique number. Blocks and their associated tracts are not rectangular surveys but irregular metes and bounds surveys. Blocks do not conform to county boundaries and may span several counties since many were surveyed before county boundaries were established. Blocks are given the name of the person or institution that first conducted the survey. Labors can be subdivided into lots. These surveys are not always rectangular. Leagues can exist without labors but labors cannot exist without a league. Unlike the Congressional survey system that assigns a new abstract number each time a tract of land is sold in Texas the abstract number is assigned in perpetuity. Most of the Public School Lands are Leagues.
The Spanish encouraged ownership of the land as ameans of exploiting natural and human resources for the benefit of spreading Catholicism through the mission system. The early land grants were to native Americans with the understanding that they maintain the land under cultivation and production. The fact that Texas had its own national government and owned the public domain within its territory makes it different from any other state in the Union. The metes and bounds survey system made things more difficult.
The Texas General Land Office Abstracts Index shows the chronology of lands granted in each county.
Surveying Texas has resulted in numerous overlaps and unrecognized surveys. The GLO began to approve or disapprove the work done by surveyors via correspondence and issue land certificates to individuals qualifying under various acts. These individuals could locate onany vacant land within the State.
Examples of property descriptions and parcel plats are available. The user may turn on or off any level as required in a topographic file when it is used as a reference file.

Why US Land Grid Surface Ownership / Tax Parcels?


US Land Grid - an industry source for reliable tax parcels / surface ownership information used in GIS-based software packages.
By providing a robust GIS data library focused in core U.S. resource play regions, US Land Grid's surface ownership information helps organizations improve planning and routing decisions and operations, increase land research productivity, and decrease data collection and field research costs.
Focused on the importance of immediate information to land data, US Land Grid directly serves of the U.S. energy industry by continually improving the quality of the data and expanding its coverage based on drilling and leasing activity.

For more information - http://www.uslandgrid.com/blog.
Premium GIS Datasets
US Land Grid provides up-to-date surface ownership GIS parcel datasets attributed with property tax information. All GIS datasets are normalized and delivered in US Land Grid's "Energy Data Model" for consistency and ease of integration and internal distribution. US Land Grid has dedicated its resources to improving and expanding surface ownership information coverage in the active U.S. resource plays. With the use of leasing/drilling activity information, along with their proprietary county and parish information resource database, US Land Grid has developed a system where existing datasets are refreshed and new priority datasets are added when requested and/or available.
Data sources include, but are not limited to...
County Appraisal District
County Courthouse
City Planning Offices
Local Title Companies
Local Surveying Companies
Third Party Data Vendors
Data inputs obtained from these sources include, but are not limited to...
Existing digital data for analysis, processing, conversion, clean-up
Digitally scanned plat and subdivision maps
Hard copy plat and subdivision maps (for scanning)
Certified property tax appraisal/assessment data
Reference deeds