Lake County has transformed its Online Mapping Application increasing transparency and providing users with easy access to maps, tax and property information, and other interactive features. 

Libertyville residents can easily view township boundaries, conservation features, school boundaries, library districts, special service areas, congressional districts and more.

Anyone seeking to conduct business, or buy property in Lake County can analyze environmental features, assessment characteristics, transportation availability, or proximity to other services. Users can search and customize maps to include administrative boundaries, cities, water features, parks, landmarks, highways, buildings and more. Some of this information was available in the old on-line mapping system that was created in 2005, but the format made it difficult to navigate. The new tool improves functionality and is very user-friendly.

Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor spoke highly of the new application.

"These new tools make Lake County a leader in our region, not only from a technology standpoint, but also in terms of government transparency," Lawlor said. "All of this hard work was done in-house with existing resources, putting a wealth of mapping capabilities in the hands of Lake County residents at no additional cost."

Information Technology/Geographic Information Systems employees developed the tool in response to developments in mapping capabilities and the increasing level of interaction the public expects to have with local government.  

"Lake County's previous on-line mapping tool had limitations as technology changed and as more and more people wanted to access this information. This was no longer a tool for employees and specialized users. We had to take a massive amount of information and develop a tool that was available to anyone, no matter their skill level or area of interest. There was special emphasis placed on ease of use, appearance, responsiveness, functionality and cost," said Rian Crowley, Senior GIS Analyst and lead developer.

Exciting features

Among the many exciting new features, users can search through 22 aerial views ranging from 1939-2011. Each parcel in the county can be broken down into layers in the map by categories like Tax Parcels and Property, Political and Taxing Districts, Environment and Transportation. Additionally, maps can be personalized with tools to draw custom graphics on the map for display, measurement, and analysis. Once a map is created with the features a user needs, it can easily be shared as a PDF or by creating a direct link.

For more information, or to explore the new application, visit the Lake County Maps Online website or watch this video.

Submitted by Lake County