Johnson County GIS Online - Internal Site
An Internet Mapping Application of the Johnson County, Iowa GIS

Help With Buffering

The Buffer tool can be used to select adjacent property up to 500 feet from a selected parcel. A report of all parcels that fall within the buffer can generated during the buffering process. The following steps illustrate how easy a buffer analysis can be performed.

Step 1. Zoom to a Parcel

Either manually zoom in or use the Search tool to locate a parcel. Once you have located the parcel, use the Identify tool to select a specific parcel.

Step 2. Buffer the Selected Parcel

With a parcel selected, click on the Buffer tool. The window below will become visible. For this example, we are using Parcel Polygons as the layer to buffer. All layers, except orthos, are available for buffering.

1. Using the drop down menu under “Highlight features from”, select
   Parcel Polygons.
2. Enter 100 for the distance in feet to buffer the selecte parcel.
3. Check the box next to “Display Attributes” to automatically create a report of the selected parcels.
4. Click on the “Create Buffer” button to execute the buffer.

Step 3. Print or Export the Report

The map extent should have adjusted to the extent of the buffer and a report should be showing in the same window used to configure the buffer. If you wish to download the report, following these steps.

Completed Buffer

Generated Report

Exporting the report to Microsoft Excel

1. Right click on the table and choose “Select All”
2. Right click again on the table and choose “Copy”
3. Open a new worksheet in Excel and click on the “Paste” button.

Printing the Report

1. Right click on the table and choose Print.