Free, high-resolution aerial imagery service for government agencies to assist with relief efforts

Aerial imagery company Nearmap is making its high-resolution aerial imaging available free of charge for state, local and county health officials and government agencies for COVID-19 relief effort planning.

“We appreciate the tireless efforts of our health and government officials in setting up testing sites and providing other resources to the public during this unprecedented time,” Rob Newman, CEO of Nearmap said in a statement. “Nearmap is pleased to play a part in assisting these agencies as they continue to plan relief efforts nationwide. We hope this service will be a valuable resource in supporting safe, accurate planning while minimizing the amount of time required to be on-site.”

As COVID-19 began spreading and social distancing measures were implemented, Nearmap was contacted by a number of government agencies who are using the company’s up-to-date, high-resolution aerial imagery to identify locations for mobile testing centers, temporary medical facilities and more.

“We’ve used Nearmap to help create a traffic routing plan for an upcoming mobile test site,” Betsi Chatham, GIS manager for Grapevine, Texas said in a statment. “It was nice to have and refer to because of the currency of the imagery.”

As more businesses discovered the value of having clear, current, and up-to-date aerial imagery and reached out for assistance, Nearmap decided to provide services directly to these emergency management agencies free of charge.

“The health and wellbeing of our employees, clients, and partners during this global pandemic is our primary concern and we are committed to doing our part to shorten COVID-19’s impact by helping to ensure the health and safety of the general public however we can,” Newman said. “It’s important to us to be involved in and find ways to support global relief efforts. We will continue to monitor the situation and adapt our policies as needed and in accordance with government recommendations and updates from global health organizations.”

Upon requesting this free service, emergency response personnel will be able to access Nearmap’s current library of high-resolution imagery for coverage of the cities and/or counties in their jurisdiction. Nearmap captures most major metropolitan areas three times a year, making the imagery provided some of the most recent and broadly available imagery on the market.

These detailed images can be used to plan emergency response mobilization centers, determine proximity to medical clinics and hospitals, and provide visibility of the site for planning parking, line logistics, and more.

Agencies that do not currently have access to an active Nearmap subscription or trial can request this service immediately by visiting Nearmap’s website or calling 801-292-2321.