MapText Software Proves Priceless for Generating FEMA Floodplain Maps

Plainsboro, New Jersey - March 7, 2005

MapText, Inc.'s Label-EZ text placement software is proving to be of inestimable value for quickly and cost-effectively producing paper map books and FEMA floodplain document displays for Riverside County (CA).

The Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District has a long history of map production in the areas of ortho-photography, engineering mapping, and land survey documentation for both community planning and engineering design. Maps were hand-produced for decades but more recently the activity became automated and CAD-driven. Mapping can easily help illuminate agency concerns but only if most potential users can readily grasp the intended meaning. Accurate, clear and cartographic-quality lettering are key for easy understanding.

Their GIS output required articulate and artful presentation of lettering to create the informative and professional products they felt desirable. The District had particular interest in three areas:

• GIS maps for public presentation. These vary widely in scale and content and often use ortho-imagery as a background. County Supervisors and other senior officials frequently request such maps to provide clarification in solving public policy questions.
• The District is busily ramping up to make flood-related information available on a public website featuring FEMA floodplain document displays.
• The District has an ongoing requirement to maintain a portable paper mapbook which details the locations of their accepted and maintained flood control facilities within their mandated area.

“In all three cases we have used Maptext's Label-EZ with Intergraph's GeoMedia Professional to design and manage lettering that has met our requirements. We have had great outcomes with the software and anyone who has tried to do this work without an expert system to place lettering will appreciate what a great boon using Label-EZ really is. The enhancements in Label-EZ 4.5, MapText's latest version, have been particularly encouraging and we look forward to integrating this successful product even further into our mapping efforts”, said Mr. William Rhoades, Geographic Services Manager of the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District.

MapText's market-leading software system, Label-EZ, places text automatically on maps of any scale and style according to the highest cartographic standards and user preferences, extremely quickly and cost-effectively. The software is compatible with all major GIS systems.