labeling/annotating map series maps using the Pro Fabric

[DianeBaker]

I tried searching other areas of the Community but the issues are specifically involving the labeling of the Fabric and making assessment maps (or parcel maps).  I'm hoping since Assessors offices are probably the biggest consumers of the Fabric I can get some advice from those in the same trenches as me. How are other jurisdictions labeling/annotating assessment maps using Pro?  

Currently my County is utilizing the original Parcel Fabric in ArcMap. About 20% of our data is COGO quality the rest is vectored.  We have been unable to upgrade to the current Fabric because of this single issue.  We can’t quickly annotate our parcel lines and have found utilizing labeling alone to be insufficient in creating the level of cartography expected with our maps.  Reasons we can't just use labeling has everything to do with placement.  Specifically when text won't fit and needs arrows to guide the user of said maps.  

Quick breakdown of our map creation process in ArcMap. We draw parcels for a particular assessment page, select just those tax parcels that will be on the Assessment page, auto label per desired scale, select newly created labels, copy and paste them into an existing annotation layer of that scale, finally make minor modifications to the new copied annotations as needed.  I would guess labeling is able to handle about 90% or more of all line labeling to our satisfaction.  Add various other annotations to the page (apn, north arrow, revision notes etc).  All annotations are tied to the specific page in the map series they are associated with using the query ability.  Page is complete and exported out.  

We wanted to continue with this approach, it was quick, easy, consistent and the pages are easy to read, but I can't figure out how to have a similar process in Pro. Once a subdivision is drawn in Pro I can label the parcel lines but I can not copy and paste them into an annotation layer. I seem to only have the option of using "Convert Labels to Annotation".  That tool works great except it will create a whole new annotation layer instead of allow me to add it directly to my existing annotation layer for that scale.  Having almost 5000 maps I don’t foresee maintaining 5000 separate annotation layers being much fun.    If I run Append Annotation Feature Classes to combine these extra layers I now create a whole new Annotation layer.  Make matters worse that process took an unexpectedly long time.  Far too long to be part of our editing workflow.

I've spent a good week of my time fiddling with Pro to solve this problem. Now I’m sitting here thinking there HAS to be some other way that is just as quick in Pro as it was in ArcMap but I’m just too dense to figure out.  There has to be another path to create the same level of quality maps without it taking 10 times as long to complete.  I'm really hoping that someone in this community has found the magic way to handle a situation like this.  

[jcarlson]

I don't know how helpful our own experience will be to you, but in Kendall County, we did away with annotations entirely. We've found that carefully managed labelling strategies and using multiple label classes actually do meet the needs of our users.

It's worth pointing out, however, that we also de-emphasize the importance of printed tax maps. In Illinois, we're mandated to provide property maps, but no stipulations are put on the format of said maps. We had annually printed sets of paper maps back in the Old Days, but we found that even the "detailed" scale of those books was woefully inadequate in dense subdivisions full of townhomes and condos.

It was an adjustment for some of our users, to be sure, but you can't make everyone happy. On the whole, most users have been more than happy being able to actually zoom in and out on our map, see boundaries and labels at more or less at the quality they expect, and export maps at precise scales, rather than being boxed into fixed extents and scales that did not meet their needs as well.

The Pro Parcel Fabric workflows make COGO editing a breeze, and knowing that the labels will be what I want as I edit the boundary lines themselves, I don't have to spend any time creating and managing annotations.

[DianeBaker]

In order to fully realize that vision did you have to have all your linework accurate? Or perhaps you have some warning about the distances notated may not be accurate?  If I was to use labeling for the entire County around 80% of distances would be displaying incorrectly.  We have a lot of lines considered approximate as well and we end the distance with the ± symbology on our maps.

[jcarlson]

We use a standard warning that users who want the most accurate boundary measures should consult the original deeds / plats they are based on. We were actually already using that language before we made the switch, as we found a number of situations in which the annotations layer we inherited from former staff had values that were entirely made up. Definitely not a great situation, but the silver lining was that our users were already accustomed to taking our labels with a grain of salt.

[DenverBilling]

The reality is, you will never have 'perfect' annotation/labeling for Assessor's Maps. The placement is too precise, and there are too many layers competing for space that inevitably it will mis-place some and leave others out. Sounds like you know this already though. 

You should be able to do something similar to your old workflow, but don't expect it to be the same. The key for me was fine tuning a script and template that creates the basis for a 'new' Assessor's Map in Pro. It copies a template project and runs 'Tiled Labels to Annotation' based on an index feature class (which contains reference scale and rotation attributes for each map). After that, I then do the arduous task of moving the annotation to its precise location for each map. It's slightly time consuming, but it works for our purposes and is consistent. I did not have any existing annotation to work with though.

I only have 1,300 maps to keep tabs on, and only redraw 35 a year, so your mileage may vary. 

You should check out Panda Consulting's video on how they use a point class for more precise label placement. It's an interesting concept: https://youtu.be/xlZe16OElio