The Communicator - Volume 1, Issue 3 - (Page 12)

the information it will contain. Once we establish the base layer (considered the “main layer”), layers (overlays) are then added on an as-needed basis. Multiple below-ground layers can show water, gas, sewer, etc., or multiple above-ground layers can indicate street surface types and areas, buildings, fences, trees, structures, etc. Layers are then turned on or off, depending on the information needed (i.e., a tree’s location to an underground water or gas line). An association GIS has several other advantages besides documenting property attributes: 1. Multiple people can access and update data (depending on their clearances to do so) on a real-time basis. 2. Information can be easily revised and made available electronically to a wide variety of users on a needto-know basis whenever the need arises. 3. It can be linked to other databases from a variety of sources. As this article relates to landscape management, we’ll focus here on the association’s use of a GIS for that purpose. DISCOVER AND DOCUMENT Regardless of the individual layer being developed, the process is the same: discover and document! Every time a landscape or irrigation contractor (or his/her account manager), property management firm, or active member of the landscape committee changes, information is lost. In the review of the annual landscape investment cited above, the site was 30 years old, the landscape contractor had been on the site for 10 years, and no documentation whatsoever existed regarding landscape areas of responsibility, scope of work, chemical - application history, irrigation-system components, or parameters needed for developing irrigation programs. Lack, or loss, of information can cost an association thousands of dollars annually in hidden and duplicative costs. For every layer being developed, some information exists – somewhere! Start there. Discover it. Document it. Build on it. Below are some examples of common GIS layers (overlays) developed in creating a landscape - management plan. Each can be subdivided into additional layers, each having its own unique attributes of interest. TIMES HAVE CHANGED HAS YOUR ASSESSMENT COLLECTION AGENCY? Allied Trustee Services WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNITY LANDSCAPED AREA LAYER l dT SPECIALIZING IN DELINQUENT ASSESSMENT COLLECTIONS & FORECLOSURE TRUSTEE SERVICES Assessment Collection, Pre-Lien, & Non-Judicial Foreclosures Fully administered payment plans Extensive senior lien monitoring and foreclosure notiﬁcation Small Claims recovery on extinguished accounts Comprehensive bankruptcy monitoring Easy start-up, fast integration of your collection workﬂow Direct toll free customer service and support Industry speciﬁc legal counsel — Litigation and Opinion Errors & Omissions Insurance coverage Convenient Account Status and monthly reports Allied Advantage “No Fees, No Cost” programs available S YOUR PREMIER ASSESSMENT COLLECTION SOURCE SINCE 1993 3721 Douglas Boulevard, Suite 345 • Roseville, CA 95661 (800) 220-5454 • www.alliedtrustee.com • Total Landscaped Area Square Footage – Required/needed by the water provider, landscape contractor, and others for determining water budgets and many other uses. • Service Area Square Footage – Turf, shrub, ground cover, sidewalk, and parking areas, etc. If this information was ever gathered, it is usually lost with departure of the maintenance contractor. Document it in a GIS, and it is always available to any who need it for a multitude of purposes. • Landscape Area Responsibilities – What areas are included, which excluded? (In the association example above, two contractors were performing the same scope of work, each unknown to the other, or the association.) 12 • The Communicator http://www.alliedtrustee.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Communicator - Volume 1, Issue 3

The Communicator - Volume 1, Issue 3 Contents President's Message Eyes in the Sky Down to the Last Drop Ask the Experts - Budget Your Water Usage 2008 Events & Educational Calendar Welcome to CAI BayCen Index to Advertisers

The Communicator - Volume 1, Issue 3

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