Presentation Abstract for WV GEO Conference, Morgantown, WV 

Open Space Mitigation Mapping (Sara Lusher, Shannon Maynard; WV GIS Technical Center)
An accurate, quantifiable, “nonstructural” inventory of open space parcels is essential for communities in measuring loss avoidance, sustaining a community’s flood protection level, and continual hazard planning and implementation of flood reduction measures.  Voluntary property-level acquisition buyouts from federal grants are the most common flood adaptive measure implemented in the state.  In partnership with the WV Emergency Management Division, the WV GIS Technical Center has mapped 3,074 open space parcels statewide, of which 71% are deed-restricted parcels and 29% community-owned vacant parcels.  The WV Flood Tool and Open Space Mitigation Dashboard utilize mapped parcels, combining ownership, deed, and flood zone data, to empower communities to track and visualize open space. These tools, including the WV Property Search Tool, facilitate identification of mitigated properties and provide a centralized dashboard for inventorying acquisition parcels for open space preservation.