Originally posted at swtimes.com
Claiming Sebastian County’s new aerial imaging technology “needs to be shared,” County Assessor Becky Yandell did just that Thursday.
Yandell and County Judge David Hudson offered any of the area’s towns, counties or other entities interested in the service the county has procured from Pictometry Intelligent Images to use the service at no charge for the next three years.
Yandell made the offer at a meeting in downtown Fort Smith, called to demonstrate the technology, which is being installed in the assessor’s office.
Trent Evans, district manager for Pictometry in Arkansas and Oklahoma, confirmed the deal. He said the county’s contract with the company allows it distribution of the service under its own terms.
The focus of Pictometry’s service is its oblique imagery. In addition to providing aerial photos shot from directly over the county — ortho imaging — Pictometry provides views of the ground photographed at an angle of about 40 degrees. The technique gives a view above and to the side of the ground and objects below.
Evans demonstrated to the system and some of the images the company has assembled for Sebastian County, a database of photos collected in flyovers that occurred in March, before foliage could obstruct the ground view.
The system’s default view is facing north, but as Evans demonstrated, views of objects from every direction are available with the click of a computer mouse. Images assembled from 4-inch photographs are detailed enough to show windows and doors on buildings, sidewalks and fences on the ground.
In addition to aerial images, the system has an array of features, enabling the viewer to determine linear distances, the area or the height of objects shown. The system also indicates changes in surface elevations and provides global positioning system coordinates.
The county’s database assembled for the assessor also indicates parcel boundaries, names of owners, and assessment and tax information.
Evans said portions of the Pictometry system can be incorporated into the county’s existing GIS system, incorporating the layers of information from that system. He gave examples of how other communities are using the system in areas of law enforcement, firefighting and search and rescue, as well as promotion of tourism and economic development.
Yandell said her office saw Pictometry as an effective tool in helping it spot and identify new construction and development in the county that is not visible or accessible from roads, and which existing aerial photography does not clearly depict.
Periodic flyovers — the county is scheduled to do another in 2015, though more frequent ones can be arranged — can track changes that could impact property values.
The images also could help police study the layout of a crime scene as they are on their way, offering details of ingress and egress. Searchers with GPS devices can track their own location, and that of others. Fire departments can use the system to locate hydrants before they are on the scene.
Hudson said the county recognized other entities in the county might be interested in the technology, so a decision was made to offer its use on a free trial basis. He said if the system proves beneficial, users may elect to pool resources with the county, helping fund its continued use and expansion.
“The county decided to invest the money so everybody could get the benefit,” Hudson said.
Yandell said the county is paying Pictometry’s three annual payments of $30,000 for the service.
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