Who Owns What

bobpbx

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You threw me off there Boyd, you have a Y in the name in your narrative. Yes, I downloaded it a few years ago. I was along the Tuckerton RR right of way and a WMA game officer stopped and chatted with me. He showed me the App, so I tried it. I was not happy with it on my phone, but I forget the details why I didn't care for it.
 
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Boyd

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Just click on BASEMAP on the viewer and click Imagery and an aerial will appear under the lines of state property

That is what is shown in the screenshot that I posted from their website. Here are screenshots from the app, you can choose a topo or aerials as a basemap. They also have a "hybrid" map which is aerials with elevation contours.

onx.png


FWIW, a couple hours after registering I got an e-mail from them offering a 30% discount on the first year of the full subscription ($70 for the version with property ownership or $21 for the regular version). If you just want to see public land, you don't need the expensive version, the cheaper one shows that but it doesn't show private land ownership. This is what the same map looks like without the private ownership.

Screenshot 2022-12-15 at 9.41.12 PM.png


I don't plan to subscribe, it's not something that I need and the user interface seems pretty awkward. However, others might find it useful.
 

RednekF350

Piney
Feb 20, 2004
5,054
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Pestletown, N.J.
Here's something interesting that I just noticed. I am not recommending because I know nothing about it. Anyway, there's an app called Onyx (sorry, the correct name is "OnX") that doesn't seem to be worried about showing property owner names. Have only spent about two minutes looking on their website, so I don't know how comprehensive the data is. But here's an example

View attachment 18845


You can't link directly to it, but just go to their website, scroll down to the bottom where it says "Powerful 3d Planning) and click the map. It took a little while to load for me. Then click the Satellite button and click 2d (this is a bit confusing). Zoom way out, drag the map to NJ and zoom back in. When you get close enough, it shows property owners. And it's free to do this on their website.


They have a 7-day free trial of the full app (iOS and Android), after that it's $100/year. You can decide for yourself whether that would be worthwhile. Who knows, they might end up pulling owner names in the future - after you have spent $100, LOL. They also have a version without the property names for $30/yr. I think there is also a free version with more limitations?


One interesting feature is that the app is compatible with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, so you can use it on your car's built-in screen (if available). Apparently you can also download maps to use with no cell signal.



Does anybody here use this already?
Many of my friends have OnX and both of my sons use it. It is a powerful tool and has a lot of very cool mapping features. I signed on for a free trial but they bugged the piss out of me so much during the first two days with emails asking me to jump over to a full subscription that I deleted it.

The redacted name issues that Bob is unhappy with can be worked around in just a few minutes in most cases. In Camden County, it's stupid easy to use the Camden County Board of Taxation free GIS. It has all very current names, direct link to the full and most current tax map plate that contains the lot you are viewing, environmental overlays, an aerial base option and the deed book and page for the current deed. One stop shopping for my work needs.

In other counties, I use the NJ Geoweb to get a block and lot then go to NJACTB. From there the Record Search tab lets you choose the county and that in turn links you to a an appropriate data source showing current ownership.
 
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bobpbx

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Many of my friends have OnX and both of my sons use it. It is a powerful tool and has a lot of very cool features mapping. I signed on for a free trial but they bugged the piss out of me so much during the first two days with emails asking me to jump over to a full subscription that I deleted it.
Yes, you jogged my memory, that's why I deleted it.
 
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RednekF350

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Feb 20, 2004
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Yes, you jogged my memory, that's why I deleted it.
I suppose if you bit the bullet and signed up right from the start it might not be as irritating. My buddy Randy loves it and has coverage for Delaware and NJ. I'm not sure if you have to get the whole US if you choose more than one State.

I hunt a lot of State woods in NJ so I don't really need it here and where I hunt in PA, soup cans and taut string are the best means of communication because of the poor cell coverage. Without good cell coverage, OnX doesn't work.
 

bobpbx

Piney
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Oct 25, 2002
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Pines; Bamber area
I was at a WMA in Cumberland County about 4 years ago (Peaslee). The WMA was across the road from a home owner. I was about 15 yeards off the road opposite from him, looking at plants. This homeowner came out of his house, walked across the road, and confronted me with: "what are you doing here?'. I politely told him and he said: "well, I don't want anybody here". I told him I worked for the state and pulled out my badge, but he refused to look at it. That got me thinking that maybe I was no longer standing in the WMA. He was angry enough as he stormed into his house to worry about him making a rash decision so I left. Turns out I WAS on state property, and he got a visit the next day by a man with a badge to educate him.
 
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Boyd

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My buddy Randy loves it and has coverage for Delaware and NJ. I'm not sure if you have to get the whole US if you choose more than one State.

You may be thinking of a different product. That same company makes at least three, their Hunt app is available for single states or the whole US. I know they also made individual state maps for Garmin GPS'es because they (basically) spammed GPSFileDepot advertising them. However I found this news on their website, which Bob ought to like. :D

"When onX was founded, smartphones were not capable of providing the experience we wanted for our customers. As a result, GPS handhelds were more prevalent in the hunting space. Now, phone technology provides a vastly superior experience and is where we are investing our time to innovate and provide world class features for hunters. Because of the innovation in smartphone technology, the onX Hunt Chip will be going away in 2022."


Anyway, I have been talking about their off-road app, not their hunting app.

Without good cell coverage, OnX doesn't work.

Actually, that is not true with the off-road app (don't know about the others, but suspect they're the same). You can download maps in the off-road app and use them with no cell coverage (I posted this above already). This might be a new feature that wasn't available in the past?

Screen Shot 2022-12-16 at 11.46.33 AM.png

So - if you're the sort of person that wants this kind of capability, it seems that this app could be useful (if you're willing to spend the $$). It's designed for mobile use, unlike the websites that Scott mentioned and it also works without cell service using downloaded maps. And the Apple Carplay/Android Auto is another important feature that makes it stand out. Ordinary app developers are not able to to access that capability, you need a special (expensive) type of developer account that is normally only available to large companies (boydsmaps is not likely to ever have that capability).

I really don't want to sound like I'm recommending this for anyone - I'm not. Just thought it might be worth looking at if you want property ownership info. But it only shows the name, not the taxes, street address, block/lot number, purchase price, etc.

Having said all of this... I have deleted the app from my phone and added the company to my spam filter (that's an easy way to avoid getting e-mail from them). I could not find any way to delete my account on their website. Just doesn't look like something I would use, and the user interface doesn't appeal to me. But I'm still interested to hear what others think.
 
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RednekF350

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Feb 20, 2004
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My son sent me this article form the NYT. It is an amazing tale of some men using the OnX app and getting caught trespassing trying to access inaccessible public lands by "corner crossing". The property owner is seeking $7 million dollars in damages. It is triggering a lot of action. You might have trouble accessing the article.

 
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Boyd

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Great article! You are right, it cannot be directly accessed. However, a trick I learned long ago is to simply paste an article title into Google. I guess the papers must have some deal with Google (?), but when you do that you can read the article. But you can't link directly to it. So, in this case, try pasting the following into the Google search box. You should then be able to click on the link in the search results.

Code:
It’s Public Land. But the Public Can’t Reach It NY Times

Screen Shot 2022-12-16 at 1.57.11 PM.png


Apple Carplay/Android Auto is another important feature that makes it stand out. Ordinary app developers are not able to to access that capability, you need a special (expensive) type of developer account that is normally only available to large companies

This quote from the article explains how they are able to offer Carplay compatibility :)

"Mr. Siegfried turned the project in the scrapbooking room into a company that just received more than $87 million from investors"
 
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Boyd

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Seems that they give you 30% off if you are living and breathing. Like I said, they sent me an e-mail with a discount right after registering. It is only for the first year of your subscription however
 

bobpbx

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From the article: "Under Mr. Tawney (Backcountry Hunters & Anglers) the group has tried (by giving OnX a platform) to modernize and counter the perception of hunters as “old white dudes with beer in their hands".

That's pretty hard to do in New Jersey, right Scott? :D
 
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bobpbx

Piney
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Oct 25, 2002
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Pines; Bamber area
From the article: "Property data is often inaccurate and outdated, and early in the development of OnX Mr. Siegfried found himself asking, “Why is there no nationwide picture of land ownership, of public and private property boundaries, of who owns what?”

What I said, and further, we should not have to pay anyone for the privilege of seeing who owns what.
 

bobpbx

Piney
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Oct 25, 2002
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By the way, it's way over the top that the rich landowner sued because he thinks you can't even step over the corner line. He's saying he even owns the air above where the 4 lines meet. This country made a serious mistake in it's early founding by not giving us the freedom to roam.

 

enormiss

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Aug 18, 2015
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Atco NJ
Very interesting article
I hate eminent domain, but if there was ever a time I'd agree it would be there.
That "Richard" needs to lose 10' of that corner and given a check for $1.00

“Landowners don’t just own the land,” claimed Ashley Mayfield Davis, the Carbon County attorney. “You also own your airspace.”

Crap, I can quit my job and just sue every helicopter, plane, jet, and drone that trespasses my airspace.
 
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