GIS Services
Internal Services
Are you a County agency seeking guidance and/or assistance with some form of mapping-related project? If so, please contact us at your earliest convenience to discuss - we provide services countywide and we're here to help.
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Who we are:We are often referred to as the "core group" of GIS support for the County, to distinguish us from other Department-specific GIS staff. We are organizationally structured under the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk, but operate and function countywide. We're also sometimes referred to as the "server group", though we do much more than just maintain the server environment. We are a small but experienced team of highly technical GIS professionals, with outstanding customer service as a priority.
What we do:
We specialize in projects that involve geospatial data (colloquially: "maps"). Whether in terms of data creation, visualization, spatial analysis, demographic analysis, application development, data transformation/conversion or integration - we've probably seen it all in one form or another at various times, at various scopes, in various contexts.
Some requests are small-enough in scope to be handled directly via our staff. Others requests may be more complex and/or specialized enough that we would recommend contracting with an outside vendor that specializes within that domain. Particularly for integration tasks, vendor-specific knowledge and involvement may be critical for success. Whatever the case, we'd be glad to help facilitate, regardless of whether handled internally or externally. For externally contracted projects we can also offer to assist with review of scope and/or cost analysis, or even participate in the RFP selection process.
Unfortunately, we do not provide long-term Departmental GIS staff replacement. If your needs are of a nature that imply long-term dedicated "in-house" staff, having an intimate familiarity with your unique business processes, then we may recommend acquiring Departmental GIS staff to fulfill your needs. However, we may still be able to provide some level of service to you by helping to justify such positions.
Finally, if your project involves time-sensitive deadlines then the sooner you can advise us the better! We'd much rather get involved "too soon" than "too late", so feel free to invite us to early planning sessions as soon as you feel that a discussion of map-related topics might be beneficial to your process. We cannot "flex" our scheduling by adding on-demand staffing to expedite extremely time-sensitive projects, but (as above) we may be able to facilitate with external contract service providers to assist in such cases.
How much do our services cost?
We bill at fair internal recovery rates for actual time and materials expended on each particular project. Rates may vary depending on the number and type of staff required to support a project. It may be possible to estimate costs up front on projects where a reasonably accurate understanding of the scope can be obtained in advance.
External Services
Are you a private citizen/agency in need of small-scale support on a custom map or other special project? If so, we may be able to assist, depending on availability. Our first priority must remain County-oriented business, but we may occasionally take on small-scale external projects if/when we have the capacity to handle the workload. Such projects are accepted at our sole discretion, and billed at current time & materials rates. Payment will be required in advance after estimating, before work is initiated. A completed Work Agreement is required with payment. Contact GIS staff for further details.
Frequently Asked Questions regarding external GIS Services:
Q: Do you accept credit or debit cards?
A: No, we are unable to accept credit/debit card payments.
Q: Do you accept PayPal or other electronic funds transfers?
A: No, we are unable to accept any such payment methods.
Q: Can you provide the service up front, then bill for it later?
A: No, we do not operate on an 'accounts receivable' basis. Payment is due prior to work performed. We can provide an invoice upon request if your accounting process requires one in order to generate a check.
Q: What is the turn-around time for a service request?
A: Once payment is received, service requests are processed as soon as is possible - typically that day, or within a few days, depending on staffing levels and current workload.
Q: How are service requests delivered?
A: Depends on the nature of the request. Paper products are typically delivered via postal mail.
Q: Can I request some other method of delivery?
A: Yes, but contact us in advance to make sure it's feasible. You may pick up the material in person. You may have electronic material emailed to you, provided that the requested material is small enough. We do not have an FTP site that you can "pull" from - however if you have an FTP site we can "push" to, then we can accommodate that method.
Q: What is the turn-around time for a custom map/special project?
A: It will vary depending on the nature of your map/project request, as well as staffing levels and other current workloads. If turn-around time is a concern, be sure to discuss it with staff during the specification of your project and we will do our best to provide an estimate.
Q: Can you laminate, or mount on foam core or hardboard, or frame a printed map for me?
A: No. Contact a print shop and/or framing shop for those types of services.
Q: I need a large quantity of one of your poster-sized maps printed, can you do it?
A: Yes, though it will be more cost effective for you to take a digital version (PDF) of that map to a print shop for mass duplication. Our equipment is not designed for bulk jobs, and the pricing reflects that - there is no quantity discount. Print shops typically have a fixed 'setup' fee, but per unit cost drops rapidly as quantities increase. Thus, a single copy will likely be less expensive if we print it, but once you exceed a couple copies then a print shop will likely be a better choice.
Fee Schedule
Labor is billed at $105/hr "Systems & Programming" rate.
Paper/Ink Materials:
| Paper Size | Fee |
| "A" (8.5x11 or 9x12) | $7.50 |
| "B" (11x17 or 12x18) | $10.00 |
| "C" (17x22 or 18x24) | $15.00 |
| "D" (22x34 or 24x36) | $20.00 |
| "E" (34x44 or 36x48) | $25.00 |
| Larger than "E" (f.e. tiled wall murals) | page_area / E_size_area * E_size_rate |
Miscellaneous Items:
| Product/Service | Fee |
| B&W photocopies | $0.10 per page (first 20 pages) $0.07 per page (subsequent pages) |
| Digital Media (floppy, CD, DVD) | $2.00 |