GIS & Mapping - FAQs
What is GIS?
How is GIS used?
How does GIS help me?
Do you sell wall maps of Fairfax County?
Do you sell a street atlas for Fairfax County?
Do you have Photography?
Do you have House Location Plats?
Do you sell the property map books and zoning map books?
Do you sell the data that is used to make your property maps?
Do you have Subdivision Plats?
Do you have maps that show contour lines?
What is GIS?
GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems
A GIS is a computer system - Hardware and Software - that helps analysts
discover relationships between and among sets of computer-readable,
geographically referenced data that they could not see or understand
easily without the aid of this technology.
How is GIS used?
GIS enables the County to display and analyze geographically referenced information. More than 75% of County information can be referenced geographically (eg. Street Addresses). Public Safety Agencies can pinpoint locations of events ( fires and crimes). The Department of Human Services uses GIS to provide better services to its clients. Data that the County uses for making decisions can be updated, maintained, and made available on a daily basis rather than on a yearly basis.
How does GIS help me?
By making the County's maps and data accessible quickly on-line, GIS makes the County Government more efficient. Improved efficiency means better services at less cost.
Do you sell wall maps of Fairfax County?
No. We compile and publish a series of Fairfax County wall maps but they are sold by the Publications Center. For a list of wall maps in the series, click on Maps under the Office Products and Services section.
Do you sell a street atlas for Fairfax County?
No. We author a street atlas but it is sold by the Publications Center.
Do you have Photography?
Yes. Our collection dates back to 1937. For more information, click on Aerial Photography in the Office Products and Services section.
Do you have House Location Plats?
No. House location plats are maintained by the Zoning Administration, located in the Herrity Building. Photocopies are available. For more information, call 703-222-1082.
Do you sell the property map books and zoning map books?
No. We author the property and zoning books but they are sold by the Publications Center. They also sell property maps with the zoning overlay by the sheet/page.
Do you sell the data that is used to make your property maps?
Yes. For more information , click on All Data Countywide Data 3 CD set under the Office Products and Services section.
Do you have Subdivision Plats?
Yes. Our collection is comprised of paper plats that vary in size, scale, number of pages, and condition. Plats can be viewed at the Front Counter of our office and photocopies can be purchased. See price list for details.
Do you have maps that show contour lines?
Yes. For more information, click on Maps - Contour Maps under the
Office Products and Services
section.