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SOIL SURVEY DIGITIZING AGREEMENT WITH THE SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE The Board reviewed the following memo dated 6/16/88: TO:Charles P. Balczun DATE:june 16, 1988 FILE: County Administrator SUBJECT: SOIL SURVEY DIGITIZING AGREEMENT WITH THE SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE FRokrbert M. Keating, AICP REFERENCES: Soil Surv. erector IBMIRD Community Development Department It is requested that the information herein presented be given formal consideration by the Board of County Commissioners at its regular meeting of Jure 28, 1988. DESCRIPTION & CONDITIONS: Recently,- the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), United States Department of Agriculture approached the Planning Department regarding the digitizing of the County's soil survey maps. The SCS proposed a joint agreement between the County and the SCS, whereby the County would pay $10,000 with which the SCS would retain a consultant to digitize the soil survey maps using USGS quad sheets as a base. The SCS would provide the technical direction to the consultant. A copy of the proposed agreement is attached to this agenda item. Digitizing the soil survey maps will allow these maps to be used on a personal computer with autocad or similar'software. Acquisi- tion of -such software has been programmed in the proposed Communi- ty Development Department budget for FY88-89. Besides the soil survey, other digitized maps available for use when the software is in place include coastal land use (available from the Marine Resources Council); scrub maps and other maps available from the Regional Planning Council; and various other digitized maps. Within the County, three departments will have particular use for the digitized soil survey. Community Development currently uses the soil survey information for site feasibility analysis (such as school site analyses prepared for the school board), environmental planning/environmentally sensitive land identification, project review, land use planning, and other services. Both Public Works and Environmental Health also use the soil survey. Digitizing the maps would facilitate the use of this information for all depart- ments. Because of the technical nature of the soil survey, the expertise of the SCS is necessary to have the maps digitized accurately. While the SCS hopes eventually to have soil surveys for all counties digitized; they have approached Indian River and Palm Beach to be among the first. Failure to participate with the SCS at this time could result in an indefinite postponement of digitizing the County's soil survey. 31 BOOK 73 pnc 104 JUN 2 8 1980