The geospatial tool uses satellite imagery to support local governments as they verify applications for Ohio’s Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV).
GALLIA COUNTY, Ohio (April 29, 2022) — Gallia County (Ohio) Auditor Robbie Jacks has joined Woolpert in a pilot program implementing Landcue, a geospatial tool that will increase the efficiency of Ohio’s Current Agricultural Use Value (CAUV) process. Landcue was developed to help local governments like Gallia County verify applications for the differential tax assessment of agricultural land.
Landcue uses satellite imagery to accurately determine the crop type or land cover within agricultural fields. It was designed to reduce the need for human inspection and provide insights about land development and related trends. The imagery collected via Landcue is detailed enough to support environmental and agriculture purposes but is not capable of discerning people or vehicles.
According to the Ohio Department of Taxation’s CAUV guidelines, farmland devoted exclusively to commercial agriculture may be valued according to its current use rather than at its “highest and best” potential use for property tax purposes. By employing current and defensible imagery through Landcue, permitting values can be set well below true market values and result in a substantially lower tax bill for working farmers.
Jacks said the accurate land-use determination provided through Landcue also will improve record-keeping, which is invaluable for property owners who live out of state. The increased efficiency of the tool also enables his staff to focus on more urgent and complicated tasks, reallocating resources for local schools, emergency responders and other essential services funded by the county.
“The Landcue app utilizes data and imagery to assess value based on what farmers are growing, saving time and effort for our staff and improving efficiencies and transparency for our farmers,” Jacks said. “As technology continues to advance, we routinely examine affordable and effective opportunities to best support our constituents. Being involved in this pilot program to see if it is beneficial to Gallia County taxpayers at no cost is an easy decision.”
ABOUT WOOLPERT DIGITAL INNOVATIONS
Woolpert Digital Innovations provides premier location-based technologies and cloud solutions for clients around the world. Built on more than 50 years of geospatial leadership, Woolpert has been an award-winning Google partner for close to a decade and creates leading-edge technology, products, solutions and services. However, our true strength is in our people and the relationships we forge with Google clients to ensure that each of their complex, location-based challenges are solved. We are a business engine that helps drive the power of Google. Learn more at innovations.woolpert.com. Woolpert was founded in Dayton, Ohio, in 1911 and has been America’s fastest-growing architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG) and strategic consulting firm since 2015. The firm has 1,900 employees and more than 60 offices on four continents. Visit woolpert.com.
