Patent ID: 7516156

Claim:
A method for updating a computerized on line parcel level map database in the form of a change layer comprising the steps of: a. contacting a data sponsor to determine if parcel level data is available in digital format; b. acquiring the parcel level data in digital format; c. normalizing the data to a common spatial data protocol, wherein the data is normalized to a single indexing scheme where parcel and street overlays are given the same theme name; indexing fields link the boundary to an attribute record given attribute name; and all features are given the same color, line font and naming conventions; d. storing said acquired digital data as a data file on one or more servers of a server system; e. spatially comparing the most current parcel map overlay to a previous parcel map overlay; f. identifying the parcel polygons in the new map that have either (1) changed size due to the splitting of an existing parcel, (2) created when two or more parcels are joined into a single parcel, or (3) modified due to a boundary adjustment; and g. thereafter copying the so identified parcels into a new change layer overlay.