In the world of property valuation, the traditional inspection cycle is often a race against the clock. Between manual photography, data entry, and the logistics of navigating a growing county, the "manual bottleneck" can hinder even the most dedicated teams.

John Paul Coyle, Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) for Woodford County, Kentucky, faced this reality head-on. With fewer field deputies than neighboring counties, his team was tasked with meeting statutory requirements across a landscape that blends suburban growth with expansive agricultural land.  

Rethinking the Manual Inspection Cycle

Before modernizing their workflow, Woodford County’s assessment process was defined by labor-intensive hurdles that impacted both the budget and team morale:

• The "Stop-and-Go" Workflow: Staff were "literally stopping at every house" to capture images, rename files, and upload them—a process that often took months per cycle.  

• The Administrative Drain: The burden of manual data management was heavy, with Coyle noting, "You'd spend as long uploading photos as you did taking them".  

• Safety and Opportunity Costs: Extensive time in traffic increased field risks and diverted personnel from higher-value, more complex appraisals.  

Delivering Ground-Truth Data at Scale

To reclaim these lost hours, Woodford County moved toward a "desktop-first" inspection model. By leveraging NCTech, the county received high-definition, parcel-linked street-level images across the Versailles urban service boundary. This comprehensive data was captured and delivered within days without requiring county staff to spend a single hour in the field.  

NCTech provided a versatile data package to ensure the team had the right tools for every task. This included both standalone, geo-referenced, and timestamped JPEG cutouts linked directly to parcels for immediate use, as well as access through the VR.World immersive visual inspection platform. This dual-delivery approach allowed the office to integrate high-quality imagery into their existing workflows instantly, ensuring every record was backed by current ground-level context. 

 

Results: Efficiency That Protects the Bottom Line

The shift from manual fieldwork to digital-first assessment resulted in a 94% reduction in manual field time. By shrinking a process that previously took an estimated 157 days down to just a few days of data processing, the county unlocked a 2.1x ROI.  

Beyond the numbers, the strategic benefits include:

• Enhanced Defensibility: Access to 360° street-level imagery provides a clear view of materials and condition, making assessments more accurate and easier to defend.  

• Strategic Resource Allocation: Automation of residential areas allows staff to focus limited field resources on "high-dollar horse farms" and complex agricultural properties.  

• Unrivaled Accuracy: Manual workflows often overlook vacant lots, but digital capture ensures complete parcel coverage.  

Empowering the Modern Assessor

Modern assessment is about more than just pictures; it’s about putting powerful visual intelligence into the hands of everyday field teams to make smarter, data-driven decisions. By breaking down technical and financial barriers, organizations can document appraisals safely, efficiently, and accurately.

As Coyle concludes: "If you factor in salary, mileage, gas, and time, it was a huge savings. It’s many times more efficient with [NCTech]". 

To access the full case study, click here or contact an NCTech specialist to learn more.

Contributed by WAGISA sponsor NCTech.