Data Distribution Policy

On August 21, 2001, the Napa County Board of Supervisors adopted a Distribution and Fee Policy for the dissemination of data from the County's GIS. This policy was later amended on December 18th, 2007 with updated fees. The main points of this policy are that data will be provided at minimal cost and access to individual data layers will be controlled by the steward of the layer. Please read below for more details.

1) Who can get copies of the data?

The County makes every reasonable effort to provide its GIS data to the public. All data layers are listed in our Data Catalog. There is a column called "Download" in the catalog that will say "No" or "Register". All layers with a register link are available to the public. All other layers are not available to the public with the exceptions noted below.

Layers that are not downloadable may be requested in some circumstances. Government agencies, private companies under contract to the County of Napa and non-profit agencies may request restricted data. Approval of these requests is handled on a case-by-case basis. These requests require signed disclaimers and other paperwork.

Please note that requesting data by mail does not change the access constraints for a layer. If it is not available for download, it is not available by mail either.

2) What format is data provided in?

Formats vary depending on the source data. Generally speaking, data will be delivered in ESRI shapefile format. Raster data such as imagery is typically delivered in MrSID format, although TIFF may be available.

3) How much does it cost?

All publicly-available data can be downloaded from our Data Catalog free of charge. Requests requiring the transfer of data to DVD will be delivered at a cost of $24.00 per DVD, plus any applicable mailing costs. Larger volumes of data can also be delivered on an external hard drive at a cost of $225.00, plus mailing costs.

Please note that each data layer has different space requirements. In some cases, many layers may fit onto one DVD. In other cases, such as with the orthos, multiple disks may be necessary.

4) How do I request/download data layers?

To obtain copies of our data, you must register with the Napa County GIS Coordinator. You can use our Data Request Form to register or refer to the contact information on the GIS Home page.

Once you have registered, the download links on the Data Catalog will be activated. Requests for delivery on DVD will be submitted to the GIS Coordinator automatically.

Please do not contact the Data Steward.