City Of Virginia Beach - eMapping

The eMapping basic application does not require a plug-in to view maps online. In order to access eMapping advanced maps, you have to download the eMapping plug-in (mapguide viewer). eMapping advanced maps provides online users with more tools and functionality to interact with online maps. If you are a frequent user, you should download and install the eMapping plug-in.

Where can I find help using eMapping?

The Help button above each interactive map you view will bring you to eMapping Help page. You can also click here to get eMapping basic version help and click here to get eMapping Advanced Help.

How often do you update your database and map layers?

Parcel database are scheduled to be updated monthly. Parcel and Street centerline layers are scheduled to be updated biweekly. Other map layers updates are scheduled whenever the new data are available.

What is the minimum system requirements to view eMapping applications?

Microsoft Windows 98 Second edition, Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later.

486 or Pentium-based PC with 16 MB of memory (24 MB required if using Windows NT 4.0)

Mouse or compatible pointing device

What internet borrowers do eMapping applications support?

Internet Explorer 5.x or Internet Explorer 6.0

Netscape Navigator 4.x

How can I set up the internet browser security settings to view eMapping applications?

Allow to accept cookies

Enable JavaScripts

Allow download and install internet browser plug-ins (For eMapping advanced applications)

How do the monitor settings affect my viewing of eMapping applications?

Minimum 800*600 screen area setting is required. The eMapping applications are designed to be best-viewed by 1024*768 screen setting.

I have some suggestions and comments about your website and the eMapping maps, how can I contact you?

We welcome suggestions and comments. Please contact us via cvbgis@vbgov.com or submit a survey directly from this web site.

I am searching the land property I own, but I get a message "Sorry, no parcels matched your search. Please Search Again!". Why?

If the property was recently purchased, it may still be in the recordation process. The property will be viewable via eMapping once the recordation process is complete. If this is not the case or you need assistance with the parcel information, please send an email to cvbgis@vbgov.com.

I live in an apartment complex, is there a way I can search to view the maps around my neighborhood?

You can search by Street Segments. To search, type in the street name. Next, from the search result, select the street segment along which your apartment complex is located to view the maps. You then can see the maps around your neighborhood.

When searching for an address, I get a message "Sorry, no parcels matched your search. Please Search Again!" but I know this address exists. Why?

First, make sure that the street number is correct and that the street name is spelled correctly (street “type” is not required). If the address has a street direction, use (E,W,S,N) instead of (East, West, South, North). Do not put a period after the street direction. If you continue to experience problems while searching for the address, please send an email to cvbgis@vbgov.com.

What do the Geo-Info, Tax-Info and Land-Info mean? How are they related one another?

Geo-Info means any geographic information and geospatial data related to the land property. Tax-Info means the data and information the real estate assessor used to evaluate the property market value and distribute the tax burdens to land owners. Land-Info is legal documents and transactions recorded by Virginia Beach Clerk of the Circuit Court office. GPIN is an identifier for all Geo-Info, Tax-Info and information contained in the Land Records database. Therefore, if you have the GPIN number for a land property, you can access its Geo-Info, Tax-Info and Land-Info simultaneously. But unfortunately, GPIN is not a searchable field in land records database before July 2002. So for land property recorded before July, 2002, you have to use other search criteria to search through Land Record Search webpage.

Does each GPIN have a unique property address? Does each property address have a unique GPIN?

A unique GPIN is assigned to each land parcel property. In most cases, it is true the land property has a single address and a unique GPIN number. But for some parcels, the address may be not assigned if there is no built-up structure. Also, it is possible that one GPIN can have multiple property addresses, especially for commercial property, city property, and condominiums.

I search for a property address and I can get its geospatial information. But I click the Tax-Info and Land-Info buttons to search for the corresponding tax information and land record, I get no results. Why?

The Center for GIS in the City of Virginia Beach maintains the parcel property database and records all the geospatial data related with parcel property. The tax information and land records system are maintained by the Office of Real Estate Assessor and the Virginia Beach Clerk of the Circuit Court office respectively. The Geo-info, Tax-Info, Land-Info are in three different database systems. All of them can be searched by GPIN. If you can not find the tax information or the land record information, please send us an email via cvbgis@vbgov.com. Please note the GPIN is not a searchable field in the land record database system before July, 2002, you can only view the land records through Land-Info button for parcel property recorded after July 2002. For land records before July, 2002, you can use other search criteria to search through Land Record Search webpage.

When I zoomin and Zoom out the maps, I noticed some map features appear and some map features disappear. Why?

Many map features on the eMapping maps are scale dependent, which means only information appropriate for the current map scale is displayed or transferred.

I like the "City Map Room" feature. Do you plan to add more locations (such as Hospitals, Shopping Centers) to the"City Map Room" ?

Yes. We will add more locations to the "City Map Rooms" in the future. If there are particular places you think should be listed in the "City Map Room", please send email to us via cvbgis@vbgov.com.

How do I set my mapping scale to reflect 1 inch equals 100 feet or 200 feet?

Virginia Beach maps are based on the international foot or (0.3048 meters); each foot is divided into 12 inches. To set the map so that 1 inch equals 100 feet, multiply the number of feet by 12. For example, 100 feet x 12 inches = 1200 or 1:1200 scale. Please set your units using the following table as a guide:

Map Scale 1 inch on the print out equals: 1 mile on the earth is represented on the map by

1:1,200 100 Feet 52.8 Inches

1:2,400 200 Feet 26.4 Inches

1:4,800 400 Feet 13.2 Inches

1:9,600 800 Feet 6.6 Inches

1:12,000 1000 Feet 5.28 Inches

1:24,000 2000 Feet 2.64 Inches

1:48,000 4000 Feet 1.32 Inches

Do I need to download and install the eMapping plug-in every time I access eMapping advanced maps?

No. You only need to download and install the eMapping plug-in once per machine - latest plug-ins are available from our server.

Why don't I see parcels on the screen?

The parcel layer only shows in a very large scale (from 1:12000 to 1:1). To see the parcel layer, zoom in until the map scale is larger than 1:12000.

I downloaded the plug-in and installed it, But, I still can not view the maps. Why?

First, make sure you installed the plug-ins. When you download the plug-in link, there will be two options you can select, either open or save the file. You may select open it. Then it will directly lead you through installing process. If you choose save the file option, make sure you run the .exe file to install the plug-in. Second, close the current internet browser window and open a new window to view the maps. The map should show up if the plug-in is correctly installed. If you still can not view the maps, describe the problem in details and send to cvbgis@vbgov.com.

Map Scale	1 inch on the print out equals:	1 mile on the earth is represented on the map by
1:1,200	100 Feet	52.8 Inches
1:2,400	200 Feet	26.4 Inches
1:4,800	400 Feet	13.2 Inches
1:9,600	800 Feet	6.6 Inches
1:12,000	1000 Feet	5.28 Inches
1:24,000	2000 Feet	2.64 Inches
1:48,000	4000 Feet	1.32 Inches