Presentation to the WI Register of Deeds Association, 3/7/17

2. RODs are important! You have a ton of data and a statutory
mandate to maintain and distribute it.
GIS and online mapping can help you meet your obligations,
improve customer satisfaction, increase return on investment, and
demonstrate the importance of your ROD office.
Barriers can be overcome. Includes technology, training,
institutional inertia, reluctance to change, knowledge of what
customers want.
How can the RODs work together for the benefit of the counties,
the state as a whole, and its citizens?
How can the State Cartographer’s Office assist in this effort?
OBJECTIVES

3. The State Cartographer’s Office (In Brief)
Deeds…And More
Data Has Utility Beyond its Original Purpose
You Don’t Need to Be a GIS Expert!
Statewide Datasets
Benefits and Challenges (Open Discussion)
OVERVIEW

5. Special program within the University of Wisconsin.
Housed in Geography at UW-Madison.
Outreach, coordination, education, info and data exchange.
Data development, data dissemination, information about jobs and
internships, publications, presentations, training, workshops…
Serve both the professional community and the general public.
Wisconsin Idea! A unique resource. A bridge between university and the
rest of the state.
4.5 permanent staff, 1 Project staff, 4-6 students.
Statewide mission to foster the development of Wisconsin’s geospatial
community through the creation and exchange of geospatial data,
services, and information.
SCO

6. Statutory Duties

7. Our Wesbite
News, jobs, data,
events…
Find maps/data
Learning center
Online
tools/apps
Publications
Project info
www.sco.wisc.edu

8. SCO CONTACT INFO

10. ROD RESPONSIBILITIES

11. KINDS OF DOCUMENTS
Deeds, mortgages, instruments, writings.
Plats and certified survey maps.
Attachments, lis pendens, sales and notices, certificates of
organization of corporations, plats, or other recorded or filed
instruments or classes of documents.
Conveyance of real estate documents.
Marriages contracted, deaths and births occurring in the county.
Records, documents and papers of any post of the Grand Army of the Republic and
of any historical society in the register's county.
Organizational documents of corporations, fraternal societies, religious
organizations, associations and other entities.
Documents pertaining to security interests.
Chattel documents.
Financing statement evidencing the creation of a security interest.
Assignment, continuation statement, termination statement, foreclosure affidavit, extension, or release
pertaining to a filed financing statement or other chattel security document.
Writings that are submitted according to s. 289.31 (3), evidencing that a solid or hazardous waste disposal facility.
Marital property agreements.
Statements of claim.
Historic landmarks.

12. FEES
For recording any instrument entitled to be recorded in the
office of the register of deeds, $30.
For copies of any records or papers, $2 for the first page plus $1
for each additional page, plus $1 for the certificate of the
register of deeds.
For performing functions under s. 409.523, the
register shall charge the fees provided
in s. 409.525, retain the portion of the fees
prescribed under s. 409.525, and submit the
portion of the fees not retained to the state.
For filing any instrument which is entitled to be
filed in the office of register of deeds and for
which no other specific fee is specified, $30.
The fees for processing vital records or for issuing copies
of vital records shall be as provided in s. 69.22.
For recording and filing a cemetery plat under s. 157.07, a subdivision
plat under s. 236.25 or a condominium plat under s. 703.07, $50.
For recording a transportation project plat under s. 84.095, $25.

13. DISTRIBUTION
59.43(1c)(i) Make and deliver to any person, on demand and
upon payment of the required fees, a certified copy, with
the register's official seal affixed, of any record,
paper, file, map or plat in the register's office.

14. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Many/most of these documents relate to
locations.
Some are actually maps.
Often refer to specific parcels of land.
Some include place names.
All of these can be mapped to help users
find what they need.
Look at foreclosure data as an example…

15. FINDING THE DATA

16. FINDING THE DATA
The data exists but:
It can be hard to find
Format varies from county to county
There are 72 counties!
It’s not in map form
Not interactive

17. WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE?
Foreclosure data is useful!
Not just a list of properties for sale
Can be used to strengthen
neighborhoods, mitigate negative
effects, reduce crime, maintain property
values…
…but only if it can accessed and used

19. MINNEAPOLIS EXAMPLE

20. MINNEAPOLIS EXAMPLE

21. MINNEAPOLIS EXAMPLE

22. MINNEAPOLIS EXAMPLE

23. DETROIT EXAMPLE

25. WHAT DATA DO THEY HAVE?
Parcels
Foreclosures
Census data
Ownership
Property tax status (delinquency)
Vacancies, occupancy, etc.

27. Packard Plant

32. RELEVANCE FOR WISCONSIN
We have the data:
• Statewide parcels
• Foreclosures
• Could obtain other variables (water use)
We could do this too, either working
with Loveland, or DIY like CURA

34. GIS USERS vs. GIS EXPERTS
GIS experts are important
But, it is GIS users who should be consulted
about what maps, data, or apps are needed
As RODs you know what users want
GIS experts do not
GIS experts can help build your apps, but
they cannot tell you what to build

35. A WISCONSIN EXAMPLE
First heard of Tyson Fettes when he and staff won Esri
SAG award, despite no background in GIS or mapping
An impressive success, both for Tyson and his team, and
for GIS and mapping
GIS experts should
help make GIS easier
to use, find new GIS
applications, listen
to what users want,
and generally help
GIS become more
widely used.

41. LESSONS
You don’t have to be a GIS expert
Map = an intuitive interface that can
improve customer success/satisfaction
Users are not GIS experts either – they
have specific needs
Multiple specialized apps is better than
one big app that tries to do it all

42. LANDMARK EXAMPLE

44. UNINC EXAMPLE

45. UNINC EXAMPLE
https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/vitalrecords/cvtlist.pdf

46. UNINC EXAMPLE

47. UNINC EXAMPLE

48. UNINC EXAMPLE

49. UNINC EXAMPLE

50. UNINC EXAMPLE

51. UNINC EXAMPLE

52. UNINC EXAMPLE

53. AND CEMETERIES TOO

54. USES
Original intent:
Vital records
Other uses/users:
Genealogy :: Historians :: Students ::
Historical societies :: Researchers ::
Map-makers :: Writers

55. GENEALOGY
WHO
WHEN
WHERE

57. CROSS-COUNTY COLLABORATIONS
Yes, RODs have a county mandate
But…RODs also serve the citizens of the
state, regardless of county
There is value in statewide data… imagine
purchasing a book on Amazon one chapter
at a time where each chapter is in a different
format
Would that meet user needs???

58. Citizens are going to benefit from this
change by having access to their records
anywhere in the state. it is going to also
benefit title companies, funeral homes,
lawyers and banks to obtain records on
behalf of their customers.

59. STATEWIDE PARCEL MAP
100% contributor participation
for V1 and V2 projects
No county with less than 54%
digital parcels
92% of counties are above 95%
parcel completeness
3% more parcel coverage in V2
vs. V1
V2 parcel layer is 97% complete

60. STATEWIDE PARCEL MAP USAGE
Web site usage stats to assess demand for parcel data
Stats are from Google Analytics and BOX
Track downloads (statewide and county-specific
datasets)
Track pageviews, sessions, and visitors for web app
For V2 data, downloads began July, 2016 and web app
went live Oct., 2016 (Only a few months of data)

65. BENEFITS
DATA & APPS
USERS, DOWNLOADS,
SESSIONS, DOCUMENTS
CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION $ FEES $
RETURN ON
INVESTMENT
JUSTIFICATION
OF ROD
FUNCTIONS
Feedback about
user needs
Investment

66. CHALLENGES
Technology: Who can assist? Availability of
education and training. Learning new skills. Costs.
Computers, servers, cloud storage…
Changing Established Practices: Getting assistance
and buy-in. Local county GIS expertise. Culture
change.
Focus on the User: A task for the GIS community as
a whole. Something we need to get better at.
Other Challenges…

68. Adams County Courthouse. Royalbroil, Wikimedia Commons
Corktown - Detroit's Oldest Neighborhood 1834. Brain Mulloy, Wikimedia Commons
Former Michigan Central Train Station. Albert duce, Wikimedia Commons
Green County Courthouse. Corey Coyle, Wikimedia Commons
Green Lake County Courthouse. Royalbroil, Wikimedia Commons
Keep Calm and Hand Over the Money. http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-
hand-over-the-money.png
Kenosha County Court House. Richie Diesterheft, Wikimedia Commons
Kewaunee County Courthouse. Chris Rand, Wikimedia Commons
Old Iron County Courthouse. Bobak Ha'Eri, Wikimedia Commons
Old Waukesha County Courthouse. Kenneth C. Zirkel, Wikimedia Commons
Racine County Court House. Richie Diesterheft, Wikimedia Commons
Science Hall Exterior. Bryce Richter, © Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System
Western part of the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit, Michigan. Albert duce,
Wikimedia Commons
Wisconsin Marriage Certificate. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wigrant/CD-
LSmithmarriage.gif