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ESRI Award Recipient
2005 ESRI "SAG" Award "Special Achievement in GIS"
July 27th, 2005
San Diego, CA
"It is my distinct pleasure to inform you that your site has been selected to receive a Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) award at ESRI's 25th Annual International User Conference. This award is being given to user sites around the world in recognition of their outstanding work in the geographic information system (GIS) field. Your organization was selected to receive this prize from more than 140-000-user sites worldwide. I congratulate you and your coworkers on a job well done."
Jack Dangermond,
President of ESRI
Press Information: for Immediate Publication-July 25, 2005
Nikki Snowhite
ESRI
Phone: 909-793-2853, extension 1-2194
Oklahoma County Assessor Receives Honors for Exceptional Work Using GIS Technology
San Diego, California-On July 27, 2005, the Oklahoma County Assessor, Oklahoma, will receive a 2005 Special Achievement in GIS award for its outstanding use of geographic information system (GIS) technology. ESRI, the world leader in GIS software, will present the award at the Twenty-fifth Annual ESRI International User Conference in San Diego, California, before thousands of GIS professionals. Out of more than 150,000 organizations worldwide, the winners of this award stood out for their exceptionally dedicated work and commitment.
"This award reflects the significant dedication and support these organizations provide to the people who depend on them," says Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. "Each of the winners uses GIS technology to go beyond what is expected into the realm of excellence."
GIS is a computer-based mapping tool that takes database information about a location, including streets, buildings, water features, and terrain, and turns it into visual layers. The ability to see and analyze geographic features on a map gives users a better understanding of a particular location, enabling planners, analysts, and others to make informed decisions about their communities, the environment, and businesses. This innovative technology brings countless benefits to the world through geography.
The Oklahoma County Assessor uses GIS technology in every aspect of its work, from identifying property owners and property descriptions to viewing aerial photographs, new structures, flood zones, school districts, and other information. The agency is able to model sales data and trends to create assessment neighborhood breakdowns with accurate information.
The agency also uses GIS technology to provide more information online. This gives citizens the ability to conduct property searches from a computer, rather than having to travel to the assessor's office. The Assessor's Office offers Web-unification classes that train commercial and residential realtors how to use the site.
Citizens use the website for a wide variety of purposes. Home buyers use the accurate maps to determine which school district the home they plan to purchase is located, and who their congressman, state senator, and state representatives are. During political campaigns, candidates use the website to find property owners to get permission to locate political signs. Communities use the data to organize neighborhood watch programs.
It is with great pleasure that ESRI honors the Special Achievement in GIS award winners for their part in making a difference in communities around the world. They exhibit the innovation and commitment that lead to countless possibilities with GIS technology.
Other organizations being honored at the 2005 User Conference include Government of Botswana; Indiana University, Research Institute; National 4-H Headquarters, USDA; Dubai Electricity and Water Authority; Pacific Disaster Center; Chicago Police Department; Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería, Chile; and Round River Conservation Studies.
About ESRI
Founded in 1969, ESRI is the leading developer of GIS software with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI software is used in all 200 of the largest cities in the United States and in more than 60% of counties and municipalities nationwide. Headquartered in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than
90 countries, and more than 1,700 business partners. ESRI's goal is to develop comprehensive tools that enable users to efficiently manage, use, and serve geographic information to make a difference in the world around them. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com.
ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, GIS by ESRI, www.esri.com, and @esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.
For Immediate Release for More Information Contact
August 1, 2005 Leonard Sullivan or Larry Stein
Phone: 405-713-1203
Cell: 405-361-9307
Oklahoma County Assessor's Office Earns Worldwide &Lsquo;Special Achievement' Award
The Oklahoma County Assessor's Office was presented one of the top awards in the world for outstanding use of technology in creating a user friendly website at ceremonies in San Diego last week, said Oklahoma County Assessor Leonard Sullivan.
The Oklahoma County Assessor's website earned the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) Special Achievement in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Award. This is a very distinguished award because you can't enter the competition. ESRI reviews all the websites independently and chooses the winners. The Oklahoma County Assessor's website was one of only 140 chosen from among more than 140-000-ESRI user sites worldwide, earning the honor of being in the top fraction of one percent of all websites worldwide.
"We are all very proud of this incredible achievement. Everyone involved in the Oklahoma County Assessor's office played a part in achieving this award, but there are two outstanding achievers on the staff that played a key part in developing these GIS features, James Mallory, the supervisor for the Mapping Department and Michael Morrison, Webmaster and Deputy Comptroller," Sullivan said.
Oklahoma County is recognized worldwide as a leader in implementing technology and representatives from the staff have made dozens of presentations around Oklahoma and the nation to demonstrate the advances the office has made.
"The assessor's website didn't happen overnight. Over the past few years under the leadership of the former Assessor Mike Means, these developments were undertaken and my commitment is to continue to provide and improve these wonderful services that are so popular with the real estate industry and the public," Sullivan said.
The Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC) Progress Report compares all of the state's 77 counties assessor's offices. Oklahoma County has 83 full time employees (FTE's). The OTC recommends 132 FTE's to perform the required duties to manage the ownership records and property boundary changes to the more than 283,742 parcels, or units of property, in the 720 square miles that make up Oklahoma County.