Project Goal
By adopting ArcGIS Pro Parcel Fabric, the BLM project goals were to:Business Problem Solved
The BLM maintains over 200 years of title and cadastral survey records, performing new and resurveys to define federal land boundaries. These records are published as the CadNSDI, part of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, using data from the PLSS dataset. Digital storage began in the 1990s, but legacy systems caused inefficiencies, complex procedures, and training challenges. Transitioning to ArcGIS Pro Parcel Fabric offers a modern, multiuser framework for managing and editing parcel data, with tools for survey measurements and adjustments. S&P Global provided custom scripts to generate CadNSDI for the PLSS.
Technology Implemented
Esri Technology used for implementing and deploying your application or solution
ArcGIS Enterprise
ArcPro Desktop
ArcGIS Pro Parcel Fabric
Development Team Biography
Christopher P. McDonald: Christopher P. McDonald is a BLM Land Surveyor specializing in PLSS data stewardship and cadastral modernization, ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and accessibility of geospatial datasets for U.S. land management.
Dedicated to continuous improvement and innovation, Christopher's practical, detail-oriented approach to geospatial data stewardship enhances BLM’s ability to manage and protect public lands, ensuring accurate and accessible land records for future generations.
S&P Global:
Jerry Neff: GIS professional with 18+ years of experience delivering complex GIS and IT solutions across government, oil & gas, and utilities.
Mike Zummo: GIS specialist with 15+ years of expertise in PLSS data acquisition and processing, contributor to parcel fabric schema development, and collaborator with ESRI on ArcGIS Pro tools for BLM cadastral workflows
Company Overview
Bureau of Land Management: The BLM, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages over 245 million surface acres and 700 million subsurface acres. Its mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of these lands through resource conservation, recreation, energy development, cultural protection, wildlife habitat, and maintaining the PLSS.
Geospatial data is vital to BLM’s work, supporting land-use planning, decision-making, and operations. GIS technologies help integrate data, enhance transparency, improve efficiency, and provide high-quality geospatial services to partners and the public.
S&P Global Energy: S&P Global Energy’s broad market view helps clients make better decisions and create long-term value. Premier Data Services, part of S&P Global, specializes in geographic and land information, providing land record research, analysis, and mapping for government and private clients.
Return on Investment
The BLM’s investment in adopting ArcGIS Pro Parcel Fabric is expected to deliver strong ROI by reducing operational costs, improving efficiency, and enhancing data quality across its nationwide PLSS program. By replacing legacy systems with a standardized, modern platform, BLM can significantly decrease manual processing time, minimize errors, and streamline survey workflows, enabling staff to produce more accurate cadastral data faster and with fewer resources. At the same time, the shift lowers long-term system maintenance costs and reduces reliance on specialized legacy expertise, while improving consistency and interoperability with partner agencies. Collectively, these gains support more reliable CadNSDI outputs, faster decision-making, and stronger long-term data stewardship, ensuring both measurable cost savings and sustained strategic value for BLM’s mission.Maximum 1,000 characters allowed