State Properties Map Server

About the Maps and the Project

The Providence Plan was hired in 2004 by the State of Rhode Island to map and improve data concerning the state's land and buildings. At that time, the State Controller had a list of 1,700 buildings and 2,472 land records, no map and a need to standardize and verify the data in hand. This project confirmed or noted issues with the existing data and mapped 1,062 buildings and 907 land records using several mapping techniques. Addresses served as a starting place for mapping. Digital aerial photography allowed for precision in the mapping of buildings. Interviews with state property managers helped identify buildings on state campuses and to tie buildings to specific property records. Municipal digital land data, when supplied, allowed parcel boundaries to be mapped and discrepancies between state and municipal data to be identified.

Rhode Island Geographic Information System made available several base layers, including the digital aerial photography. These layers (See About Other Data) helped place the land and buildings and give them context.

The result is easily accessible maps using the most accurate information available at the time the work was conducted. Please note that these maps are provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered perfect. Some information may have changed since the maps were made, some data layers have been constructed using methods that are less geographically accurate than others, and occationally mistakes are in the base data itself.

In future phases, it is hoped to develop a process to more fully integrate state land and building information in order to improve the accuracy, precision, timeliness, and comprehensiveness of data. Tools could also be developed (in particular search tools based on address, building name or state campus) that make the maps more user friendly. Comments welcome