A Lot Of Help From Above
Law enforcement agencies in Orange County, Fla., have a new tool that provides access to more than 85,000 digital images that cover the entire county. But unlike conventional aerial pictures, these color photos allow users to get 360-degree views of homes, office buildings, barns, fire hydrants, and other structures. And the photos are high-resolution, so measurements can be more accurately gauged.
The photos are taken by at least five cameras from a small plane using as many as 12 angles. They are updated every two years; the last sets were taken in May 2005.
Only county employees are able to access the images, which are part of the county’s digital library that comprises nearly 380 GB of computer storage space, according to Manish Bhatt, an IT expert in the county Property Appraiser’s Office. The images are near three-dimensional, which aids public safety agencies to examine sites from various angles in daylight views in cases such as searches, identifying features, and assessing storm damage.
The county pays $380,000 per two-year contract for the new aerial photography service, of which $60,000 was funded by a homeland security grant.
The service is provided by Pictometry International, which also has contracts with more than 200 counties and most major cities as well as all armed forces divisions expect for the Navy, says Dante Pennacchia, the firm’s chief marketing officer.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Orlando Sentinel (05/05/06) P. B1; Smith, Wes .
