ARCDBA.MDP_MET_Esmt_Py

The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) is a statewide local land trust governed by a citizen Board of Trustees. Since its creation by the General Assembly in 1967, MET's main goal is the preservation of open land, such as farmland, forest land, and significant natural resources. The primary tool for doing this is the conservation easement, a voluntary agreement between a landowner and the MET Board of Trustees.

MET Conservation Easements promote growth management, the protection of significant natural resources and rural areas, and discourage sprawling development patterns.  A Conservation Easement is a perpetual legal agreement between a landowner (grantor) and the Trust (grantee) ensuring that a property shall not be developed beyond a limit agreed upon by both parties.  The land is thereby protected and preserved without detriment to the rights of ownership, occupancy, or privacy, while the agreement provides for significant income, estate, and property tax benefits.

Complete
Data update frequency: Annually

Who created the data: Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Kevin Coyne, Chief, Geospatial Information and Analysis

Name: Kevin Coyne

Title: Chief. Spatial Data Production Services

Organization: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Phone: 410-260-8985

email: kenmiller@dnr.state.md.us

Hours of Operation: 0800 - 1700 Monday to Friday (EST)

Access constraints: None

Edit Description: Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) easements were located and digitized using the pre-1994 MET files and the accumulative MET data base received from the MET program administration. All parcel boundaries were digitized according to the Maryland Department of Planning(MDP) MD Property View (version 1998) tax map images using ArcView software (version 3.2). Each parcel was attributed according to the tax map data found within the MD Property view Cd series where the ACCTID, map, parcel, and lot number were recorded. The standard attribute fields (area and perimeter) were also added to the attribute field. And, the acres of the parcel were determined from the area field by dividing the area by 43,560 sq ft per acre. Once all parcels(polygons) were digitized, the data was imported into coverage format (using PC Arc Info.) and built and cleaned to a scale tolerance of 1 : 24,000. All data was then checked for slivers and overshoots. If slivers and/or over shoots were found, they were fixed according to the initial tax maps and built and cleaned again for consistency. The data was then imported into rvc format using MicroImages TNT mips. The rvc file was warped into MD State Plane 1983 (NAD 83) coordinates with units in meters. The rvc file was then validated for consistency and exported out to shapefile format for final distribution.
Date Updated: 19991001

Edit Description: In the most recent updates to the Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) easements, all easements were checked and the database was updated to be current as of December 2001. All parcels that were previously unlocated were identified by the MET program and all 2000/2001 approved easements were digitized using tax map boundaries in the Maryland Department of Planning's(MDP) MD Property View (edition 2000). The acreage field was recalculated within MicroImages TNT mips software. All data was then exported to eoo format and finally converted to shapefile format for distribution.
Date Updated: 20020904

Edit Description: Approved easements were digitized using tax map boundaries in the Maryland Department of Planning's (MDP) MD Property View. Some property boundaries were adjusted using imagery such as Maryland's Color Infrared Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangle - 1 meter resolution. There are known topological issues (overlaps and gaps in polygons) with this latest version of the data. This is the most up-to-date and best available version of the data, however. Topological problems will be corrected at a later time.
Date Updated: 20070221

Edit Description: Approved easements were digitized using tax map boundaries in the most current Maryland Department of Planning's (MDP) MD Property View. Some property boundaries were adjusted using imagery such as NAIP 2007. There are known topological issues (overlaps and gaps in polygons) with this latest version of the data. This is the most up-to-date and best available version of the data, however. Topological problems will be corrected at a later time.
Date Updated: 20090922

Edit Description: Approved easements were digitized using tax map boundaries in the most current Maryland Department of Planning's (MDP) MD Property View. Some property boundaries were adjusted using imagery such as NAIP 2009. There are known topological issues (overlaps and gaps in polygons) with this latest version of the data. This is the most up-to-date and best available version of the data, however. Topological problems will be corrected at a later time.
Date Updated: 20110323

Edit Description: Approved easements were digitized using tax map boundaries in the most current Maryland Department of Planning's (MDP) MD Property View. Some property boundaries were adjusted using imagery such as NAIP 2011. There are known topological issues (overlaps and gaps in polygons) with this latest version of the data. This is the most up-to-date and best available version of the data, however. Topological problems will be corrected at a later time.
Date Updated: 20120815

Edit Description: Approved easements were digitized using tax map boundaries in the most current Maryland Department of Planning's (MDP) MD Property View. Some property boundaries were adjusted using imagery such as NAIP 2011. There are known topological issues (overlaps and gaps in polygons) with this latest version of the data. This is the most up-to-date and best available version of the data, however. Topological problems will be corrected at a later time.
Date Updated: 20121129

Media: CD-ROM
Scale denominator: 24000
Contribution: Maryland Department of Planning's MD Property View

Media: None
Scale denominator: 24000
Contribution: Maryland Department of Planning's MD Property View

Media: None
Scale denominator: 24000
Contribution: Maryland Department of Planning's MD Property View

Media: None
Scale denominator: 24000
Contribution: Maryland Department of Planning's MD Property View

Media: None
Scale denominator: 24000
Contribution: Maryland Department of Planning's MD Property View

Media: None
Scale denominator: 24000
Contribution: Maryland Department of Planning's MD Property View

Media: None
Contribution: Maryland Department of Planning's MD Property View

Media: None

Media: None
Scale denominator: 24000
Contribution: USDA NAIP 2007

The Maryland Environmental Trust Easements data layer has a map accuracy of 1: 24000 scale. Each easement(polygon) was double-checked aginst the source property map for exactness of fit.

There are no vertical data references.

none
Source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources