If you have been discussing CAMA software lately, you have almost certainly been discussing GIS software too. Today, everyone wants to see parcel details when looking at a map and they want to see where the parcel is located when looking at the parcel details. Of course, they also want to see flood planes, neighborhood factors, sales data, property characteristics, aerial photography and tiny animations of construction workers whenever there is new construction. Don’t laugh too loudly; there are already satellite services that can identify parcels with new construction. It’s just a matter of time before it is integrated with permit information and available on a map through your CAMA software.

Of course, that’s not how things are today. Most appraisal districts have two distinct systems for managing parcel and GIS data. In fact, there are often many independent systems running within an Appraisal District. There can be separate permitting, ARB and Imaging systems as well as small databases and spreadsheets to provide income valuations, comparable sales analysis, and multiple regressions. Some of these systems are tied together through various levels of integration or data transfer, and some operate independently.

Software Techniques, Inc., (STI) provides enterprise applications for Appraisal Districts as well as systems integration services. Our appraisal application merges the data of all the various systems so users can seamlessly access all types of information. This enables you to focus on work-centric activities rather than data-centric activities. For example, you do not need to work exclusively within the GIS system to modify and view GIS data and then shift to the CAMA system to work with parcel information. You can see a map corresponding to a set of parcels by clicking the display map icon within the enterprise application. From the map view, you can mass update parcel information using all the sophisticated features of the CAMA system.

A common feature desired today is the ability to split a parcel, set its parcel ID and copy parcel information to the new parcel, all from the map view. This is now possible since the GIS system and the CAMA system are merged.

Merging GIS with CAMA does not mean you have to use one database to hold all the data elements. You don’t even have to store them all on one machine. It doesn’t render standard interfaces obsolete either. You have the advantage of using the best tool for any particular task. What is most important is to present the information in a seamless fashion. You must be able to perform critical job functions that have traditionally involved two different systems, with different interfaces, from a single interface.

There is a difference between the integration and the merging of systems. Potter-Randall Appraisal District had a third party imaging system. When we installed our CUSTOMCAMA system, which includes an imaging system, we integrated with their current system. They kept historical property record cards in the existing imaging system and stored digital photographs and exemption applications within the CUSTOMCAMA system. As an integrated system, users could do little more than select and view relevant images from the CAMA interface. As a merged system, when an exemption application was created and attached to the parcel, the exemptions were created and work flow tasks assigned to the exemptions department.

The same benefits exist when GIS systems are merged with CAMA systems. Nancy Halvorsen, Director of GIS in Tampa, Florida, had traditionally written applications in the GIS environment to produce sales maps and update CAMA data. To print a sales map, a user had to request the map from her department. Once the systems were merged, users could print the maps directly from the CAMA system. Users had both graphical and textual views and were able to perform functions from either view. Nancy claims her office has saved a tremendous amount of time and users are very happy to print maps directly.

Merging data from different systems, such as GIS and CAMA is accomplished through layers of software that understand the internal data structures of the merged systems. In our imaging example, had the third party imaging application provided access to their internal data structures as well as a programmer’s interface to standard imaging functions, such as “store a document”, “delete a document”, “index a document”, we could have merged the two system together rather than integrate them.

The benefits of merged systems are tremendous. They function intuitively and save valuable time and money. Complex processes can be automated; awkward, time-consuming data exports and transfers can be eliminated. In the future, as CAMA software becomes more sophisticated, you will certainly see more merged systems.

Larry Zirbel is the President and Founder of Software Techniques, Inc. He holds an engineering degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois and has worked at the IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center in operating systems research. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Remote Light, inc. You may contact Larry at

Software Techniques, Inc., (STI), founded in 1987, provides enterprise applications for Appraisal Districts. STI is headquartered in Winter Park, Florida and maintains offices near Austin, Texas, Raleigh, North Carolina and London, England. STI is currently providing appraisal software to Potter-Randall and Harris Appraisal Districts as well as districts in other states.