Imagery: Disaster Assessment

Pictometry^® International Corporation captured aerial oblique imagery of disaster struck areas earlier this year to help US Counties quickly and accurately assess property damage following a tornado. Pictometry captured more than 360 square kilometres of new imagery immediately after the tornadoes touched down in Mississippi on February 6 and delivered it to County officials in four other Counties in Tennessee one week later.

“Within days of the disaster, we were able to disseminate new imagery to our 911, GIS, assessing and planning agencies,” said Rick Stieg, Regional GIS director for Shelby County. “With minimal training, we were able to quickly share a critical visual resource,” said Stieg, adding, “when you are dealing with extensive destruction in a denselypopulated area, there are countless occasions you need a tool that enables you to view pre- and post-disaster imagery in a side-by-side analysis.” Rita Clark, Assessor of Property for Shelby County, began using the new imagery the day it arrived. “Pictometry is a wonderful tool. An invaluable tool,” said Clark.

Shelby County first used Pictometry in 2004, one year after straight-line winds caused damage in random parts of the county. “At that time, we didn’t have a means of comparing pre and post-storm damage. We had to launch an effort to get people to send in images of their properties from before and after the storm. With Pictometry, we have recent, detailed, aerial imagery and a tool that eliminates the need for most site visits, saving considerable time and money.”

In nearby Hardin County, a less-populated, rural area and the first County in the state to use Pictometry, more than 180 square kilometres of new imagery was captured over the path of the tornado. “We immediately deployed the imagery to our emergency operations center,” said Hardin County Fire Chief Melvin Martin, “and now it is being used by the Soil Conservation District to check debris and blockages in our streams and rivers and to assess timber damage in the more rural parts of our County where roadways aren’t clear.” The use of Pictometry oblique imagery and its analysis tools continues to grow in the US market and globally.

For more information on Pictometry contact us by email or visit our Pictometry webpage.

 

A side by side comparison of Tornado damage using Pictometry oblique imagery