GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CLASS

The CARTOGRAPHIC PROGRAM SPECIALIST provides ongoing specialized cartographic program direction for the Tax District Boundary Changes Program, the County Cartographic Liaison Program and other cartographic units by exercising quality control over maps prepared by county and other non-state employees and various cartographic units and having authority to accept or reject the work of the cartographic staff or other personnel.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

This is the fifth level of a five-level series. It is distinguished from the lower levels by the program and lead cartographer responsibilities. Positions in this class function with a high degree of independence within established statutory and agency guidelines. Positions in this class have significant regulatory impact but are expected to provide a strong advisory role to prevent adversarial confrontations between their agencies and user of services provided. The employee provides advice, instruction and information to local government and agency staff regarding new cartographic technologies, rules, and statute revisions.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Program Analysis. Typical tasks: analyzes map systems and maintenance programs for technical accuracy and conformance to statewide standards and statutory and common laws; analyzes map records maintenance systems, staffing needs, and cartographic procedural needs; reports findings and makes recommendations for improving accuracy and efficiency and correcting deficiencies to agency management, county cartographers, county assessors, county clerks, and county commissioners and other cooperators; explains and instructs on use of the mapping manual and provides input and recommendations for manual.
2. Mapping. Typical tasks: using various methods, interprets and plots descriptions and details from existing records, deeds, surveys, plats, highway and railroad right-of-way maps, aerial photographs, powerline drawings and other map sources to construct complex maps such as base control maps, cadastral maps and specialized maps from beginning to finalization; plots detail such as section, subdivision, and survey corners, railroads, roads and highways, highway and railroad right-of-ways, intersections, government and private surveys, section line grids including patented mining claims and donation land claims, unsurveyed waterways, bodies of water, and roads; uses photogrammetric methods, power transmission line drawings, metes and bounds descriptions, boundaries such as city limits, rural fire protection districts, taxing districts, school districts, townships, riparian, property, and geographic features such as mountains, coastlines, rivers, creeks, and lakes to construct maps; converts maps to different scales; assigns parcel numbers and property description numbers; computes control and grid systems necessary for establishing the base control system on a map; computes perimeters such as timber type and other forested areas or patented mining claims; computes acreages using standard geometric calculations or by using either the Double Meridian Distance Method commonly employed by surveyors or multiplication of two sides of a rectangular-shaped parcel with right angles and divided by the square footage of one acre, or determines acreages for irregular shaped or unsurveyed parcels with the use of a planimeter; may prepare charts, graphs, and other graphics as required.
3. Systems Maintenance. Typical tasks: analyzes, develops, and improves software programs, hardware systems, and information processes for cartographic data collection and processing using assessment records and maps as a base for the operation of the Computerized Assisted Mapping System; coordinates activities, procedures and work of cartographers operating a Computerized Assisted Mapping System.
4. Research Activities. Typical tasks: conducts in-house and field research on mapping and survey problems and ownership problems of real estate, land, estuaries, harbors and rivers for assessors, county courts, county surveyors and taxpayers; researches the application of tax, real estate and riparian laws to specific mapping problems; coordinates survey team to establish triangulation points and resolve property boundary problems; may write and administer aerial photo and mapping contracts and prepare cooperative agreements.
5. Training. Typical tasks: instructs less experienced State and County cartographers in mapping procedures, mapping standards, new mapping methods, riparian laws, operation of Computerized Assisted Mapping System, interpretation of photogrammetry, real estate laws, including deeds, contracts, and court orders; edits and reviews maps and records of less experienced cartographers for accuracy, quality, and conformance to State mapping standards; provides personalized training to cartographers in areas of deficiencies.

RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS

Employees in this class are in contact weekly by telephone or in-person with personnel such as cartographers, county clerks, county assessors, and county commissioners and with other agencies to exchange information about deeds, surveys, roads, zones, boundaries, maps, and mapping standards, and to provide an analysis of recommendations for improvement and compliance on mapping standards and records maintenance. Employees are in contact monthly by telephone or in person with other State and Federal agencies such as the State Highway Department, United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to obtain information such as ownership of lands, status of road construction, and official boundaries. Employees are in contact monthly by telephone with title companies to obtain or clarify information pertaining to problems, ownership, or transfer of property titles, and with surveyors to obtain or clarify information pertaining to surveys they have done. Employees are in contact weekly with private companies, the public and other agencies to provide information concerning availability and cost of maps and aerial photography; and with the public to provide information such as location of property boundaries and how to locate these boundaries, types of deeds needed to convey property and who should prepare these documents, the options that are available to resolve boundary disputes, procedures needed to research chains of title, road dedications, and vacation ordinances.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Employees in this class receive general supervision, usually by a manager or administrative superior. Completed maps are reviewed for accuracy, quality, soundness of judgment, and compliance with established mapping standards. Production and project schedules are reviewed as needed to track project deadlines and project phases.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• three years of drafting or cartography experience of which two years must include Oregon map making experience.

Experience must have provided: