How Oneida County will use $500K aerial photos to assist emergency services
Oneida County will pay a Rochester company almost $500,000 to take aerial photos of the county to help with emergency planning and response.
The Oneida County Board of Legislators voted in favor of spending $466,542.80 for Pictometry International Corp. to take two flyovers of the county in the next six years, providing aerial photos of the terrain.
The county will pay $77,757.13 annually over the next six years for the service, according to documentation on the county’s website.
The Oneida County Planning Department and other government agencies utilize Pictometry.
Oneida County Director of Emergency Services Edward Stevens said the county has utilized Pictometry’s services for more than 15 years.
“The services are utilized by Emergency Services in conjunction with the Computer Aided dispatch system to assist in mapping calls for service,” Stevens said in an emailed statement. “The service can also be used to evaluate the terrain and other potential obstacles a first responder could face when responding to an event.”
Stevens said the county’s planning department uses the company for mapping services.
About the aerial photo service
Pictometry last took aerial photos for the county in 2015, Stevens said. Typically, a flyover is done every three years, Stevens added.
Stevens said Pictometry had said it would like to take the first set of aerial photos in the spring. Now that the contract has been approved, he expects the first flyover to take place “fairly quickly.”
“They will fly the whole county in a grid pattern,” Stevens described.
The ortho imagery is available online or ready for physical delivery within 30 days of capture completion, Stevens said.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: How Oneida County will use aerial photos to assist emergency services
