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SpatialNews.com Press Release
City of Jacksonville, FL Maximizes its Applications for Pictometry Technology
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ROCHESTER, NY - December 18, 2006 - Pictometry International Corp., the
worldwide leader in digital, aerial oblique imagery and measuring
software today announced that the Consolidated City of Jacksonville, FL
has successfully implemented its aerial imaging program in a multitude
of applications.
Pictometry's industry-leading software enables users to easily access up
to 20 different oblique (at an angle in a 3D-like manner) views of any
property, building, highway, or other feature. The software also enables
users to obtain measurements such as distance, height, elevation, and
area directly from the oblique imagery as well as overlay GIS data and
create fully textured Pictometry Real3D(tm) models.
"We have been able to use this software in a distributed environment
through an ESRI ArcIMS deployment," said Jacksonville GIS manager George
Chakhtoura. The city has deployed Pictometry on their website for use by
local residents. "We continue to receive very positive feedback from the
community about the imagery available on our city Web site," said
Chakhtoura. "Users can activate the imagery online and it has been a
valuable tool for the general public. The positives are too numerous to
count and it's saving us tons of money."
"The GIS functions on our Web site are tremendously popular and useful
to both government employees and our citizens," agreed Jacksonville
Mayor John Peyton. "They were particularly helpful in planning events
and security for Super Bowl XXXIX last year, and we continue to find
ways to use this technology to provide better, faster, and cheaper
services to our taxpayers."
The city's Public Works department uses Pictometry to inventory items
such as trees, streetlights, manhole covers, and other assets, and to
gauge the condition of roadways, sidewalks and bridges, as well as land
usage.
Jim Overton, Property Appraiser of Duval County, says his agency uses
Pictometry on a regular basis. "Pictometry gives our appraisers an
immediate visual reference for a property, often while we're on the
phone with a taxpayer. We can check size and physical characteristics
sometimes instead of a physical inspection, so it saves time. It's a
great productivity tool for us."
Public safety uses for Pictometry in Jacksonville continue to grow in
scope and in unique applications. According to the County's 9-1-1
Coordinator, Patricia Welte, the City is currently reviewing options for
deploying the visual data in its 9-1-1 centers for improved call
response handling. This phase of the project is expected to be completed
concurrently with several 9-1-1 equipment upgrades during 2007.
Within the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, Pictometry has a wide range of
uses. According to George A. Brown II, GIS manager for the Sheriff's
Office, the visual data meets key needs for the organization, including
tactical, investigative, traffic deployment, crowd control, event
planning, evacuations, and information sharing. "We have recently
introduced Pictometry to our Homeland Security Division for use in the
security issues that may arise within our City," says Brown. "Our SWAT
team is preparing their Mobile Command Center to be equipped with
Pictometry to be used for all SWAT callouts. This will provide the SWAT
teams with clear visuals of any location from all sides without putting
our people or citizens in harm's way. Our Tactical Support Unit has been
using the software for preplanning that allows them to know exactly
where fences, sheds, walls, porches, and decks are prior to entering a
house or building. We would be lacking a key ingredient to the overall
workings of our agency without this program."
Last year Pictometry was used by crime analysts in the Jacksonville
Sheriff's Office to solve a string of business burglaries that targeted
automatic teller machines (ATM). After recognition of a crime pattern by
the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office's Crime Analysis Unit, maps and
reports were created detailing date and time specifics, method of
operation, and potential suspects. Site assessments of previously hit
businesses were then conducted by reviewing Pictometry's aerial oblique
imagery. Predictive analysis from these site characteristics enabled the
plotting of potential future crime sites based on the aerial data.
Ultimately, four suspects were apprehended at a location previously
designated as a potential target from the Pictometry-enabled predictive
analysis. "Without the assistance of the aerial photography in the site
assessments of the initial locations and other financial institutions in
the Jacksonville area, developing a potential target list would have
been unrealistic," said Jamie Roush, Crime Analyst for Jacksonville
Sheriff's Office.
About Pictometry
Pictometry International is a rapidly growing software company that
provides visual information systems. The company's patented imaging
process captures georeferenced, high-resolution oblique (at an angle,
3D-like view) and ortho (straight down) Intelligent Images(r) of
counties and states. Combined with the company's interactive software
solution, users can see everywhere, measure anything, and plan
everything. The company has a growing customer base exceeding 250
counties, the State of Massachusetts, the State of Rhode Island, the
State of Connecticut, federal government organizations, as well as
private business users. Major metropolitan areas using Pictometry(r)
include Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles,
Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington,
DC. Applications include 9-1-1, appraisers, assessors, emergency
management agencies, engineering, financial institutions, fire
departments, GIS, golf communities, homeland security, insurance, law
enforcement, planning officials, real estate, and transportation.
Pictometry is a second order visualization tool that does not produce
authoritative or definitive information (surveying) from its digital,
aerial images.
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ArcIMS and ESRI are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks
of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other
jurisdictions.
Intelligent Images, Pictometry, and Pictometry Real3D are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Pictometry International Corp.
Contact Info:
Will Smith
Marketing Manager
Pictometry International Corp.
585-486-0093 X270
will.smith@pictometry.com
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