Projects

Calaveras County, received a grant from the California Regional Blueprint Planning Program to implement an ArcGIS based planning tool developed by UC Davis called UPLAN. The UPLAN tool essentially allows a user to run “what if” build-out scenarios to help decision makers and the general public visualize results of various input parameters. The goal of the CalTrans grant is to use land use results generated from UPLAN as inputs into a regional transportation model; the goal of the County is to use the application in the General Plan update process. To utilize this tool effectively the County needed to put its existing General Plan GIS layers into alignment with each other and with the Public Land Survey System (PLSS).

 

VESTRA aligned the County’s General Plan, Archaeologically Sensitive, High Capability Timber, Mineral Resources and Significant Wildlife feature classes first to the PLSS and the remaining boundary lines were aligned to coincident roads, lakes and streams. VESTRA also updated the layer with known corrections. In addition, the County’s eleven Community, Special, and Specific Plans, Groundwater Potential, High Capability Agricultural Lands, Major Recreation Areas, and Surface Water were digitized insuring that all of these feature classes are aligned with each other and PLSS where appropriate.

 

VESTRA also contracted with Calaveras County to provide technical assistance with General Plan land use edits during the General Plan Update process, which resulted in Water Quality Vulnerability Zone and Built Areas GIS layers, along with further edits to the land use layer.