Expand COGO Reader beyond Parcel Fabric

[cmathers]

I do not maintain parcel data and do not need to use the Parcel Fabric for my work but frequently deal with surveys none the less. It would be helpful to be able to use the COGO Reader tool outside of the Parcel Fabric to scan a deed and push the result into the normal Traverse tool.

[AmirBar-Maor]

This webinar will be dedicated to COGO Reader.

We will also show how easy it is to migrate your existing data to the parcel fabric (it only takes a few minutes)

You are welcome to join

https://www.meetup.com/esri-parcel-fabric-meet-up/events/308788324/?eventOrigin=group_events_list

[BillFox]

esri's cogo has always been a separate tool so why is this reader enhancement being deployed differently?

for the "required" parcel fabric, here we go again?

Migrating Data From ArcStorm or Map Librarian (Coverages) to the Geodatabase

and,

Arc/Info

• New technology provides a single point of entry for all ESRI software to access ARC/INFO data in various settings.
  Traditional coverages
  ARC/INFO LIBRARIAN tiles
  ArcStorm databases
  Server support for ArcStorm on Windows NT
  Multifeature checkout
  ARC/INFO client to Spatial Database Engine (SDE )

https://www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000284.shtml

[AmirBar-Maor]

@BillFox 

We implemented and released the COGO tools in ArcGIS Pro (like Traverse and COGO enabled feature classes) before releasing the parcel fabric. That was done in part because we know that COGO tools are used outside of land records to create geometries from measurements.

For parcels (Land Records  /Cadastre) this is the evolution of esri technology:

The parcel fabric offers many advantages, some of which are:

1. Parcel lineage and historic parcels
2. All records are associated with their legal source (record) - they are defendable.
3. Tools that make data entry more efficient (like COGO Reader, but not only)
4. Tools that help you identify quality issues in your data
5. Tools that let you fix common quality issues in your data
6. Ability to evaluate and improve spatial accuracy over time
7. Ability to use web services: view and edit parcels from any type of client, not only desktop.
8. 4D - ability to view the data as it was in historic moments in time.
9. ...

Coverages and ArcStorm are examples of great technology for that time. We also get nostalgic for a good  BUILD and CLEAN 🙂

We do not prevent organizations from managing their land records outside the parcel fabric, but we consider those types of solutions as custom solutions. Most customers, however, prefer COTS and configuration over a custom solution.

If you are attending the UC we will love to talk with you in person.

[BillFox]

not this year, but that made me remember this from a few years ago:

..."Machine learning might offer additional opportunities... "Alexa: enter my traverse" Am..."

[AmirBar-Maor]

@BillFox 

We actually thought about that. You have providers like Google, Amazon and others that will turn voice to text, but they all require sending your data to the cloud and a paid subscription.
We also experimented with AI, including the leading players, and found out:

1. They all require you to send the deed to the cloud, which might create issues around IP for the deed and its use.
2. It's a black box without a 'men in the loop'
3. It never says "I don't know what to do" - instead it 'hallucinates' and provides a completely wrong answer
4. It requires a paid subscription - would you pay for something that gives you wrong results and takes more time to review than entering the deed manually? 

That said, I agree - AI/ML will offer some opportunities, and we have implemented some parcel fabric capabilities with the ArcGIS Pro AI Assistant (not released yet).

[AmirBar-Maor]

If you wonder how difficult it is to migrate to the parcel fabric, this short video will give you an idea:

[SimonSchütte_ct]

@BillFox @AmirBar-Maor  "You have providers like Google, Amazon and others that will turn voice to text, but they all require sending your data to the cloud and a paid subscription."
No need for that, tools like Whisper can be run on nearly any modern machine locally and produce great results. Check out GitHub - Purfview/whisper-standalone-win, GitHub - kaixxx/noScribe, GitHub - CheshireCC/faster-whisper-GUI for example.

[AmirBar-Maor]

@SimonSchütte_ct 

Thanks for sharing.

Do you use Whisper to enter metes and bounds descriptions?

I ask because:

• Whisper takes as input voice recordings (wav files) - would users want to record themselves reading a deed and then process it?
• How would they specify DMS (Degrees - minutes - seconds) for directions?
• Would users be OK with dedicating 1 GB -10GB of RAM for this process?
• Whisper also requires the installation of other packages to work.

Since COGO Reader can process a deed faster than reading it outload, I don't think that's a direction we'll be exploring anytime soon

[SimonSchütte_ct]

@AmirBar-Maor I use it to collect data in the field. From the auto-transcription, data can be pulled easily. Different use case, but just wanted to point out that not everything has to be linked to the cloud.
Maybe I´ll write a post on the topic over in a dedicated thread.

[jorgelopezs]

I totally agree! It would be very helpful for users to use COGO Reader in other types of metes and bounds polygons.