ROCHESTER, NY – January 3, 2005 – Pictometry International Corp., provider of a patented information system that captures georeferenced, digital aerial oblique and orthogonal images as well as related software, announced today that it has delivered software and imagery to Etowah County, AL.
The county encompasses over 500 square miles in the Appalachian foothills of Northeastern Alabama. Its county seat is Gadsden, located about 65 miles northeast of Birmingham, AL.
Etowah County funded its Pictometry system through the combination of a federal homeland security grant and city/county funds. A number of county agencies are actively using the county-wide metric oblique imaging software and database. “The Pictometry visual intelligence system is going to be a very useful and beneficial planning tool for years to come,” said Marie Bankson, director of Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency. “In talking with the other agencies in the county that use the system, I’ve learned that it is being used every day in some way. Its use is going to increase more and more as word spreads of its availability and its capabilities.”
Pictometry’s industry leading software enables users to quickly and easily access up to 12 different high-resolution views of any property, building, highway, landmark, or other feature in a county. The software also enables users to create measurements, such as distance, height, elevation, and area, directly from the imagery as well as insert GIS content and other data.
The City of Gadsden Planning Department is a heavy user of the Pictometry system, using it for a variety of applications such as highlighting parcels for rezoning, obtaining elevations on towers, and updating City maps with new buildings. The Etowah County Enhanced 911 Department is using it for drawing and locating new roads in the county. Plans are underway to install the database in the Communications Dispatch area for easy access by their telecommunicators while receiving and dispatching fire and EMS calls.
Gadsden/Etowah County EMA’s uses for the system are many and varied, from delineating certain zones in the county for which protective action recommendations might be necessary in the event of a chemical accident, to determining locations for setting up traffic and access control points in the event of evacuation. “It is also very useful to us in locating creeks, streams, or other water sources that may be threatened by a hazardous materials release from a factory or industry, or near an accident scene on the highway involving hazardous substances releases,” said Bankson.
Law enforcement agencies throughout the county have already put the system to use in their daily operations. Uses include conducting exercises, marking routes for parades, surveillance, and planning raids at different locations.
“Etowah County joins a growing list of counties implementing Pictometry’s visual information system for their public safety applications,” said Dante Pennacchia, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing at Pictometry. “We are pleased to welcome them on board.”
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 – natural view) and orthogonal (straight down) digital images 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 approaching 100 counties, the State of Massachusetts, federal government organizations, as well private business users. Major metropolitan areas using Pictometry include Atlanta, Boston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, 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, www.pictometry.com.