COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., – The Sanborn Map Company, Inc. (Sanborn) flight team overcame challenging spring weather conditions to successfully collect high-resolution imagery of the entire state of Connecticut and its coastline in just five weeks. Altogether, the firm collected more than 42,500 4-band, 3-inch resolution images during March and April, including more than 6,000 coastline images during low-tide conditions.
The Sanborn team, which included subcontractors, also collected more than 5,200 square miles of high-density light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data covering the entire state during the same time period. All of the data were collected during snow-free, cloud-free and leaf-off conditions, which makes them ideal for a host of products and applications.
“Our flight team did an exceptional job of outmaneuvering the unusual weather present during the collection period,” says Shawn Benham, Sanborn project manager. “Despite the elements, we were able to meet or exceed our contractual commitments by collecting 100 percent of the data on time.”
Sanborn now is focused on creating mapping products from the data, which will be delivered during the 2016 calendar year. These include 3-inch ground sample distance (GSD) orthoimagery; U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) QL2 LiDAR data; bare Earth digital elevation models (DEMs); and 1-foot contour maps. Individual municipalities and state agencies also have options to acquire additional products as needed, such as 3-D buildings, planimetrics, landcover maps, impervious surface maps and more.
Brad Arshat, Sanborn director of strategic accounts in the Northeastern United States, estimates that statewide collaboration on the project will result in several million dollars in tax dollar savings, as opposed to each of the state’s 169 municipalities acquiring its own data.
“The savings truly are astronomical when you merge many smaller project areas into a single large project because of the fixed costs associated with each mobilization,” explains Arshat.
Sanborn’s contract with Connecticut’s Capitol Region Council of Governments was made possible by a grant from the state’s Office of Policy and Management. Connecticut Governor Daniel P. Malloy notes the importance of the Sanborn data, all of which will be made publicly available according to the governor’s Open Data Initiative.
“We need to support our communities by giving them the tools to do their jobs in a modern, efficient and effective way,” asserts Malloy. “As a former mayor, I know how valuable this information is to municipalities. In addition, this information is critical to our state agencies.”
About The Sanborn Map Company, Inc.
Sanborn (www.sanborn.com) is a preeminent innovator in the geospatial industry, delivering state-of-the-art mapping, visualization, Web GIS™ and 3-D solutions to customers worldwide. The firm, which celebrates its storied 150th anniversary in 2016, currently operates a fleet of 14 aircraft located strategically across the United States. Embracing cutting-edge technology, Sanborn specializes in oblique aerial imagery, aerial and mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) mapping, aerial orthophotography, 3-D modeling and visualization software and services, indoor mapping with its proprietary SPIN robot, unmanned aircraft system (UAS) sales, services and image processing, and a host of geospatial software products.
