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Sole Source Standardization Approval - 2025 Land Cover & Tree Canopy Dataset
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INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lee Jenson, Planning Department, Director, 704-283-3564
ACTION REQUESTED:
Authorize the purchase, in accordance with County policies and substantially consistent with this agenda item, of EarthDefine's proprietary 2025 land cover and tree canopy dataset through PlanIT Geo, Inc., under the sole source exception for purchases provided in N.C.G.S. ? 143-129(e)(6), with product availability from only one source of supply and software compatibility and standardization as the overriding consideration in this purchase, as set forth in this agenda item.
PRIOR BOARD ACTIONS:
None.
BACKGROUND:
Union County Planning relies on high-resolution land-cover and tree-canopy datasets to monitor development trends, assess environmental impacts, and support long-term planning initiatives. The County previously acquired standardized land-cover datasets in 2012 and 2020, both generated using EarthDefine's proprietary artificial intelligence-based classification methodology and delivered through PlanIT Geo.
In 2022, Union County issued RFP 2022-055 - GIS Data & Software as a full, competitive IT procurement to obtain high-resolution multispectral land-cover data, tree canopy analysis, change detection, and GIS-compatible data products. The scope of RFP 2022-055 required:
* High-resolution land-cover datasets
* Consistent classification categories
* =95% accuracy
* Raster and vector deliverables
* Web-based analytic tools
Following evaluation of proposals, PlanIT Geo was selected as the successful vendor, establishing the County's standard for high-resolution land-cover datasets and associated GIS products.
To maintain consistency with the 2012 and 2020 datasets-and to preserve compatibility with the data standards and methodology established through RFP 2022-055-the 2025 dataset must be generated using the same proprietary EarthDefine processes and delivered by PlanIT ...
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