SmartMAP.com used its GIS capabilities to perform Relative Suitability Analyses to create an Agricultural Preservation Strategy Map for the entire State of Delaware.  This map included polygon processing, scoring, and weighting of six layers of information. The layers included Land Use, Soils, Sewer Service Areas, Agricultural Investment, and Percentage of Cropland and Percentage of Open Space.  This process allowed the state to do several “what if?” scenarios by changing the scoring and weighting values and reprocessing.  After selecting the final scenario, the maps were then updated annually using updated layer information, and then processed using the same formula to produce updated maps.  The Farmland Preservation program has been extremely successful in Delaware and more than 93,000 acres have been permanently preserved and more than $166 million has been paid to farmers to preserve their land.

SmartMAP.com can enhance your Land Planning and Preservation Programs.  This same Relative Suitability Analysis can be used to create other types of planning results.  SmartMAP.com has performed several additional analyses that Delaware has used to determine “Growth Areas”.  This analysis identified areas throughout the state where the state wants to encourage and stimulate development based on land use, infrastructure, etc.

Incentives are offered to encourage development in these areas.  This Development Analysis goes hand in hand with the Preservation Analysis to produce an overall state plan for the controlled, orderly and logical growth and preservation in Delaware

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