Liberty County, Georgia Case Study
About the County
Located in southeastern Georgia, Liberty County is home to over 65,000 residents and includes the city of Hinesville. The Liberty County Assessor’s Office oversees mapping, assessment, and land record management for the region. With growing demands for improved access, historical record keeping, and data accuracy, the County sought to modernize its GIS infrastructure to better serve internal departments and the public.
The Challenge
Liberty County’s parcel editing workflow had become inefficient and cumbersome. The GIS staff utilized Sidwell’s TAG model and Parcel Builder Administrator to maintain their parcel data, however performance slowed significantly when the county’s servers were relocated, leading to lagging edits and time-consuming synchronization between multiple local databases. Additionally, the ArcMap environment lacked the capabilities needed to streamline tasks like parcel splits, combos, and annotation. The team faced recurring issues with redundant editing, outdated software, and a lack of integration with evolving Esri capabilities.
With Esri’s announcement that ArcMap would be retired, the County was prompted to act. They needed a modern, scalable solution that could reduce manual workloads, improve version control, and enable robust public access to GIS data.
The Solution
Sidwell delivered a comprehensive modernization project that included:
- Parcel Fabric Migration: Migrating Liberty County’s data from the legacy TAG model to Esri’s Parcel Fabric, enabling improved data integrity, lineage tracking, and historical recordkeeping.
- ArcGIS Pro Migration: Transitioning from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Enterprise, allowing the team to leverage modern GIS tools and capabilities.
- Data Cleanup: Streamlining and validating data to ensure accuracy and alignment with parcel boundaries, zoning layers, and assessor attributes.
- Training & Support: Hands-on training provided to the County’s GIS team to enable confident use of the new system, with further follow-up planned post-deployment.
The Outcome
While the full training and deployment are ongoing, Liberty County is already seeing early signs of success:
- Increased Efficiency: Parcel Fabric allows for more intuitive editing, reducing redundant tasks and streamlining workflows.
- Improved Historical Recordkeeping: Staff can now track parcel splits, combos, and tax-year changes with greater transparency—supporting state reporting and public inquiries.
- Public-Facing Improvements: The groundwork is laid for implementing interactive applications using Experience Builder or Portico, helping citizens and staff access data like zoning, property records, and damage assessments.
- Custom Innovation: Liberty County developed custom GIS tools like the DART (Damage Assessment Reporting Tool) and PRISYM (Property Information System) 2.0, showcasing their technical capabilities. With Sidwell’s help, these tools are being maintained and considered for enhancement using Esri’s latest technologies.
- Long-Term Partnership: Despite minor hiccups, Liberty County rated their experience with Sidwell a 9.7/10, citing decades of responsive support and a shared commitment to innovation.
Since I’ve been involved, you guys have been awesome. Every time we’ve had an issue, we’ve always worked it out… Over the last—what—19 years, being involved with y’all, 9.7 [out of 10].”
— Scott Wall, Mapping GIS Supervisor, Liberty County Assessor’s Office
Looking Ahead
The final stages of deployment will be completed in summer 2025. As Liberty County continues to build out internal applications and expand public GIS access, Sidwell remains a trusted advisor—ready to support future needs in zoning, assessment, and citizen engagement.
About Sidwell
Founded in 1927, Sidwell is a trusted leader in GIS services and solutions for local governments. As an Esri Gold Business Partner, Sidwell brings decades of experience in land records modernization, GIS implementation, and parcel management. Sidwell has supported Liberty County since 2006, including the original adoption of its TAG model. This long-standing relationship laid the foundation for a smooth transition to the Parcel Fabric and ArcGIS Pro.