departments & agencies
geographic information systems
Geographic Information Systems
59 Woodfin Pl.
Asheville, NC 28801
Our GIS data is now accessible for download. At this time, there are a limited number of datasets available. Please check periodically for others as they become available. Our intent is to refresh the data on a weekly basis, if at all possible.
News & Updates
New GIS Website
Buncombe County has developed a new GIS website. All the functionality that you are accustomed to is still there with many new features presented in a more user-friendly format. Now you can look up parcel sales data, search on any data layer, perform buffers and then select parcels by that buffer. You also have more options for output. You can print maps at many different sizes as well as export the results of any queries you run to an Excel spreadsheet that can be saved to your computer.
Please note: Our new website works best with Internet Explorer 7, or Firefox 3.
We hope you enjoy our new site. Please contact us at 250-6860 or gishelp@buncombecounty.org if you have any questions or need help.
If you would like to continue using the old website for a while it will still be available for the next few weeks. You can access it here:
Buncombe County On-Line Slope Calculation Tool
Both Buncombe County and the City of Asheville have established ordinances to regulate development in areas of steep slope. The ordinances require that the average natural slope be calculated on an area of interest based on vector contour lines. To aid the citizens of Buncombe County, the Buncombe County GIS office in association with Asheville GIS and NENAC have developed an on-line tool that provides consistent methodology, process and data analysis for determining the average natural slope for a given parcel or area.
2006 Aerial Imagery Available for Download
Our new 2006 aerial imagery is available for download (MrSID 20:1 format). They were flown back in March/April of 2006.
2006 5 ft Contours Available for Download
New 5 foot contour intervals for all of Buncombe County are now available for download (shapefile format). This data was created using a DEM created from the LIDAR data given to Buncombe County by the NC Floodplain Mapping Project.
Buncombe County Soil Survey Online
Soils information for Buncombe County is now available on-line. The soil survey was recently completed and the soils maps and data are available on the internet. The traditional final product of first generation soil survey mapping has been the soil survey publication. Each publication included soil map unit description, series descriptions, tables of information (attributes), and maps. The new soil survey is a digital product named SSURGO. Electronic files may be downloaded from the Soil Data Mart. A web-based application, the Web Soil Survey, has also been made available for public use. It consists of the newest NRCS SSURGO soils data, along with information from other federal data sources such as the US Geological Survey and the US Census Bureau. These generally include an orthophotographic background, roads, streams, coordinates, and other data for orientation and location purposes.
The Buncombe County soil survey is not yet published. The soil survey publication is in draft format and will be available as an interim product once the manuscript has been typeset. The soils maps have been digitized. The official source of soil data is the Soil Data Mart. The SSURGO tabular and/or spatial data may be downloaded from:
NRCS - SSURGO Tabular and/or Spatial Data: Buncombe County
A web-based set of data is also available. Interpretations and data may be accessed at:
NCRS - Commonly Used Soil Properties by Report: Buncombe County
The Web soil Survey is accessed from:
The data on these sites are the most current available. Copies of the soil survey will be available in 2008/2009 from the Soil and Water Conservation District Office.
For further information, contact the NRCS field office at (828) 254-0916, ext. 3 or the Soil Survey at (828) 254-0916, ext. 6.
About GIS
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are essentially the computer applications that allow an organization to relate all of it's data to points, lines or areas upon the earth. Examples of GIS data include parcels, street centerlines, surface water, elevations (contours), and aerial imagery.
The GIS group is responsible for designing and supporting most of the county's geo-databases and applications related to using and displaying that data. We are also responsible for administering GIS-related data request, and coordinating with outside organizations. As part of that coordination effort, we participate in the state's NCOneMap project, which is a sort of "geospatial backbone" for many state and federal organizations who are interested in using North Carolina's GIS data for their organizations.
Supported Software Applications
- Internal Public Access System (MapObjects-based)
- Address Maintenance Programs (ArcINFO, ArcGIS)
- Special Requests From End Users (ESRI GIS)
Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday
8:00am - 5:00pm
For questions regarding GIS system availability, data requests, or assistance with using the web site, please contact:
Contact Info
GIS Help Desk
(828) 250-6860
GisHelp@buncombecounty.org