FOSS4GNA 2023 | Open Sourcing Farm Assessments - Joshua Carlson

Summary

Josh Carlson discusses the transformation of farm assessments in Kendall County, Illinois, highlighting the transition from a cumbersome proprietary tool to an open-source, efficient, and accurate solution. The new approach ensures precision in calculating agricultural parcel values, overcoming issues like rounding errors and software dependencies.

Highlights

🚜 Josh Carlson shares the journey of revolutionizing farm assessments in Kendall County, Illinois.

🔄 Transition from a costly proprietary tool with limitations to an open-source, accurate, and accessible solution.

💻 Utilization of Python, specifically geopandas, to streamline the assessment process and eliminate software dependencies.

🗺️ Carlson emphasizes the importance of accuracy in calculating property values for agricultural parcels.

🌱 Introduction of a validation step to ensure the precision of the newly developed assessment tool.

🛠️ The development process involves understanding the intricacies of farm cards, spatial operations, and the state-defined individual soil waiting method.

🌐 Open-sourcing the code for accessibility, transparency, and potential use by other counties.