By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
San Juan County’s GIS Team has released its first set of Polaris Instructional Videos for its Polaris Mapping Application. The newly released instructional videos are intended to assist users in learning the tools and functionality of Polaris.
There are currently four videos that focus on navigation tools, search tools, the identify tool, and map contents. Each video is short, ranging from two to five minutes, and gives users instructions and tips on finding your way around Polaris.
The videos are hosted on YouTube and do not require special software other than an Internet browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. Look for additional videos to be released in the future that focus on My Maps, measuring tool, mark-up tool, etc. You can view the videos and access the Polaris Property Search by clicking on Polaris Mapping Application on the County website or at www.sjcgis.org.
In December, the Polaris Property Search application replaced the inter-active parcel map portion of the Assessor’s Parcel Search application that was hosted by a consultant. By bringing the application in-house, the County is saving money on annual maintenance costs as well as the inevitable cost to upgrade the Assessor’s Parcel Search to current mapping technology and the data format of the new Assessor’s computer software.
The in-house capabilities of the GIS Team will also allow the County to expand its Internet mapping services in the future without incurring costs by using a consultant to develop and maintain the mapping applications.
