Frequently Asked Questions
Listed below are common questions about the Spatial Data Viewer, Imagemate Online, and other aspects of the Warren County GIS Program, and answers to the inquiries.
Q. Are there step by step instructions for using the Spatial Data Viewer?
A. Yes! Here is a PDF document that can be viewed and/or downloaded - Using the SDV
Q. I appear to log on to Imagemate successfully, but it keeps telling me my session is timed out. What's wrong?
A. In order for Imagemate to remember your password, you must have cookies enabled. If you are using Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options, Privacy, Advanced and uncheck the "Override automatic cookie handling" box.
Q. What is the difference between the Spatial Data Viewer and Imagemate Online?
A. The Spatial Data Viewer provides interactive maps, with a variety of layers, including aerial photography, tax parcel boundaries, wetlands, and zoning, as well as a limited amount of information from the tax roll. Imagemate Online provides detailed information from the tax roll, as well as photos of properties.
Q. How much does the Spatial Data Viewer and Imagemate Online cost?
A. The Spatial Data Viewer is free, and available to anyone with internet access. Imagemate Online costs $500 per year per private or for-profit organization. A 10-day trial evaluation period can be provided, however, for potential subscribers intersted in trying the program before purchasing.
Q. How do I sign up for Imagemate Online?
A. Click here to download a printable brochure with an order form.
Q. Why do you charge for public information?
A. All of the information available online is also available at the county municipal center free of charge. However, the software required to run Imagemate Online and the Spatial Data Viewer are expensive. The County charges a "convenience fee" to Imagemate Online users in order to help offset its costs for the software and the bandwidth. In addition, requiring registration and the use of a user name and password allows the county to track usage. This helps to alleviate privacy concerns.
Q. Can Imagemate Online and the Spatial Data Viewer be used together?
A. Yes, the two programs are linked. To make use of them together, enter through Imagemate Online. Select a parcel and then click on "View GIS Map." You will be zoomed in to the selected parcel in the SDV. To go back to Imagemate, make sure you have a parcel selected and click on "Imagemate".
Q. Do I need any special software?
A. No. All you need is a recent (Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher or Netscape Navigator 6.0 or higher) web browser. Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher is also recommended. It can be downloaded for free from www.adobe.com.
Q. Can I use my password on more than one computer?
A. Yes. Passwords are assigned to an organization, so more than one person can use the same password and the password can be used on more than one computer. Please be aware, however, that we do track usage. Please do not share your username and password with anyone outside your organization.
Q. How often is the information updated?
A. The information in both Imagemate Online and the Spatial Data Viewer is from the current tax roll and is updated yearly. Sales information and photos are updated in Imagemate Online every two months. The parcel boundaries in the Spatial Data Viewer are currently updated yearly. We are in the process of updating them more frequently.
Q. When I try to connect to the website, I get an error message saying the server is not found. What is the problem?
A. If you are in the Municipal Center or the Annex and have Windows 2000, a host file needs to be installed on your machine. Please contact Data Processing. If you are not in the Municipal Center or the Annex, try upgrading your browser to the most recent release of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator.
Q. When I click on "identify", it says I am in flood Zone C or Zone X, but I'm not seeing any flood zones on the map. What is going on?
A. Zone C and Zone X are both considered to be "not in a flood zone". Because for insurance purposes, many property owners need to know what FIRM panel and date the flood zone determination was taken from, the "identify" tool lists this information regardless of whether or not the property actually falls within a flood zone.
Q. When I print a pdf map, nothing shows up but the road names. What's wrong?
A. This appears to be a bug with the older browser versions of adobe acrobat. Try either of these two options: 1) right click on the "click here to download your pdf" and choose "save target as.." to save the map to your hard drive. Open it from your hard drive 2) download the most recent version of adobe acrobat from www.adobe.com.
Q. It looks like my parcel boundary doesn't line up with the aerial photos. What should I do?
A. The aerial photography is a recent addition to our County GIS and is our most accurate data layer. The Real Property department is aware of some of the discrepancies between the tax maps and the photography and is working to the correct them. Your patience is appreciated.
Q. When I try to print a pdf map, it asks me what program I want to open it with. What should I do?
A. The .pdf files are meant to be viewed and printed with Adobe Acrobat Reader. This program is free and can be downloaded from www.adobe.com.
Q. I had turned on the zoning/wetland/flood zone layer, but when I printed the pdf map the only thing that showed up was the parcel boundaries and the aerial photos. Why is this?
A. Currently, the pdf maps are only set up to print parcel boundaries, aerial photos at a scale of 1" = 400' or larger, and road names. Hopefully, in a future version of the Spatial Data Viewer, the pdf maps will be more interactive.
Q. I have the aerial photos turned on, but when I print a map, they don't show up.
A. If you are printing an html map, try zooming in a little bit farther. If you are printing a pdf map, make sure the scale you select is 1" = 50', 1" = 100', 1" = 200' or 1" = 400'.
Q. When I click "identify", the information about my parcel is not correct. What should I do?
A. This information is current to March 1, 2003. If any changes have occurred since then, they will not be reflected in the data. We are working to update this information more frequently. If the information hasn't changed since March 1, 2003 and you still feel it is incorrect, please call your Town Hall and ask to speak to the assessor.
Q. I turned on the contours/aerial photos/road names, but they don't show up.
A. Because these layers take time to draw, they are "scale dependent", meaning that they will only turn one when the map is zoomed in to a certain point.
Q. It looks like the APA land classifications are supposed to line up with my parcel, but they don't quite. Why is this?
A. The APA land classifications were created at a scale of 1" = 2,000'. The parcels vary in scale from 1" = 50' to 1" = 400'. Since the parcel boundaries are more accurate, there are some slight differences between the parcel boundaries and the land classifications. If there are any questions regarding your land classification, please contact the Adirondack Park Agency
Q. When I click on the "Search for Parcel" link, nothing happens.
A. The Parcel Search options appear in a Popup window. Check your Internet options and ensure that the Popup Blocker has been turned off.
