Marion County Grid-Map books
I had a nice visit from my friend over the weekend, who works for the MCSO STARS reporting system. She brought me a copy of the CALL CLOSE-OUT TYPE CODES... basically the disposition codes for closing a call that the SO responds too. She also brought me a Sector map, which shows the 3 main Sectors for the County. I was very interested in obtaining some information on how the grid maps work, and she informed me that the Sheriff's Office uses a grid map, in the form of a very thick map book. The MC grid map book is almost as thick as a telephone book, and each SO has a copy, as does each dispatcher, and even the STAR reporters... they all have a copy at thier desk. Since its a highly sought after item, it comes with a hefty price. I did some checking yesterday afternoon, and it seems that they are using a standard copy of the official GIS data compiled in a localized USNG (United States National Grid) map book created for the MC area. I believe these grid-map books are published by Thomas Bros.
The pages in the Thomas Guide are part of the Thomas Bros. Maps national Page and Grid layout and their digital mapping system. Each page number is unique within a geographic area, enabling all of us to have precise page information when looking up a city, community, or street address.
To eliminate the confusion associated with map pages that overlap and repeat between different counties, areas or for each map book, the Thomas Bros. Maps Page and Grid assigns a unique page number to each geographical area. For example, page number 698 refers to the exact same area no matter what book you are looking at.
Each book's map pages are numbered using this unique page number instead of by the traditional always-sequential page numbering. This means the first map page in any given Thomas Guide is likely not "Page 1," but is most likely something like "#560," as an example. Refer to the PageFinder map in each guide to see the range of pages covered in that particular guide.
The map Grids are 1/2 mile square, and go from Grid A1 through Grid J7. This gives you the ability to quickly locate cities, streets, addresses, and points of interest. These grids will always appear at the same location on each page. Using the grids, you can also quickly and easily estimate distances.
Page numbers for each Thomas Bros. Maps street guide begin with the lowest map page number, and continue on through the highest number. Each map page is clearly marked in the upper outside corner of the page.
I am awaiting confirmation of the name and publisher of the grid map book she uses, when she returns to work she will send me an email, and I will most likely purchase a copy from a local book store such as Barnes and Noble or maybe even Amazon. This book will provide me with the information I was looking for, as to know where SO's are calling in from, in which sections of the county. It will also help me to figure out where calls are as they are dispatched.
