A project to do computer-based mapping of Coles County may begin soon.

The Regional Planning and Development committee will recommend to the County Board at its March 13 meeting to adopt a plan of taking aerial photographs of the county and making computer-based maps, said County Board Chairman Robert Webb.

The computer-based maps are known as geographic information systems (GIS) and can help the county assess property values and assist other city and county departments, Webb said.

“We want to properly assess properties so we do not have inequities,” Webb said.

The geographic information system would also help the highway department locate roads and could be used to find locations for both water and sewer lines. Using GIS would create better accuracy in locating areas of interest in the county, Webb said.

The Regional Planning and Development committee has chosen Surdex Corp. of Chesterfield, Mo., and Sidwell Co. of St. Charles to do the aerial photography and computer mapping. The committee chose the two companies out of eight applications because the two had the best qualifications, Webb said.

The cost of the GIS will be approximately $600,000. Part of the money will come from state grants and the rest will come from the county’s budget.

The aerial photographs need to be taken during March before leaves start to appear on trees so that the photographs will be as accurate as possible, Webb said. If the proposal does not pass at this County Board meeting, the county will have to wait another year on the project because the aerial photographs cannot be taken during the fall or winter.

Twenty-five percent of Illinois counties already have GIS technology for outlining their layouts.

“This is just another step that we need to take,” Webb said.