mdlandrec.net Version 3 Roll Out

Load testing of application server cluster configuration has begun. Archives also is bringing in some consultant help to assist with system optimization. If all goes well, cluster testing will be completed successfully, any updates to test script and system documentation made necessary by revisions to the application code will be incorporated, and revised and updated system reports and statistical analyses will be in place by the end of the month. Once cluster load testing is successfully completed, internal and external functional testing can begin on or about July 1.

Functional testing should take an additional couple of months, and is expected to reveal user issues that will need to be addressed and corrected. Once these issues are corrected, we will need another round of internal and external functional testing before the system can "go live".

plats.net Enhancement

At the May 18th meeting of the Automation Committee, I was asked to explain more fully Archives' plans to incorporate plats.net into mdlandrec.net.  Specifically, I was asked to lay out in more detail Archives' plans for integrating these two systems, the primary obstacles that we anticipated would have to be overcome in this effort, and a possible timeframe for completing this project. Let me begin by saying upfront that no Archives resources have yet been devoted to combining mdlandrec.net and plats.net into a single system. At this point, that goal remains more a concept and a long-term objective rather than a project plan. But that being said, we have begun to identify some of the major questions that need to be answered, issues that need to be addressed, and design decisions that will have to be made for the integration of plats.net with mdlandrec.net to be realized.

Plats.net and mdlandrec.net, developed at different times and incorporating very different functional requirements, are two very different systems in design and function. A great deal of re-programming and re-design will be needed. While they differ in almost every way, two of the more obvious examples that might serve to illustrate some of the issues are 1) what each serves up as the record, and 2) how the user finds this record.

How does each system serve up "the record"?

• plats.net uses an archival series approach to making these materials available online. That is to say that plat images are presented in terms of the various series used to establish intellectual and physical control over records in Archives custody. This means, for example, that the original plats filed with a county are described in one series, the copy of those plats filed with the Archives are described in a different series, any microfilm copies of those plats are described in yet another series,  while any aperture cards of those same plats will be described in yet another series. At times this can become quite a complicated picture, with four, five, six and even more distinct series, all seeming to describe the same set of plats. Add to this the fact that all these series are not, in fact, identical in content and the universe of plats for any given jurisdiction can become quite complex and confusing indeed with subtle and sometimes significant variations between what ought to be identical versions of a single plat. Unable to determine which, if any of the multiple versions of a plat is the "real" record copy that ought to be available online, plats.net instead tries to make available copies of all extant versions of a plat and lets the system user sort out the legal issues
• mdlandrec.net  attempts to place online the single best quality, most complete and accurate representation of every page of every land record filed in Maryland. In contrast to the approach used in plats.net, mdlandrec.net draws from all extant land record sources (original paper, hard copy transcriptions or reduced size formats, multiple microfilm sources, etc.) to place online a single representation of each land record instrument in a hybrid "perfect book".

• plats.net uses series unit databases created by archival staff from information taken from the plats themselves to provide access to images of individual plats or groups of associated plats. Every plat or group of associated plats is identified in one or more of these series unit databases. This means that the user can search by book/page, by plat number, or by descriptive information like owner or subdivision to access every image in plats.net.
• mdlandrec.net uses ELROI index data input by court staff, older mainframe index data created by court staff, and even older COTT data imported into the mainframe. Generally, this data provides name access to land records back to the mid 1960s. Prior to that date, there is no index "data" as such. Users must refer to online digital representations of hard copy index books.

Previous Reports

• May 1, 2009