I noticed that the zoomed in, clear imagery is from a different company - Pictometry. They've been doing all of the aerial before/after imagery in the recent disasters, such as the OK tornado. I'm skeptical about this and believe they may be using aerial footage to manipulate the extent of damage in these disasters.
" We are getting a first hand look tonight at some Rochester-based technology that had a big role in assisting those devastated by tornadoes in Oklahoma. Pictometry showed us how the company's images helped first responders find victims. Not only did the technology we're about to show you help those first on the scene, it continues to help survivors of the tornado rebuild.
Pictometry's aerial oblique imagery combined with new technology called "rapid access" allows pictometry to take detailed pictures of property and buildings and turn those images around in just days. "That is invaluable for county, for 9-1-1 responders, for insurance companies who are trying to help their customers rebuild their properties and get back on their feet," said Chris Barrow, Pictometry CEO.
The Henrietta company has a fleet of 73 planes. It has captured about 90% of the country from the air so far.
"This is kinda like Google on steroids. Ya know, so first of all, when we cover an area, we cover it from border to border. If we're going to go fly in a particular county, we're going to take an image of that entire county. Every single property in that county, we're going to capture that. Store that in our database, so that no matter where there's an incident, after the fact, we'll have before images," said Barrow.
That was the case in Moore, Oklahoma. Pictometry already had pictures of the entire area that the path of the storm took in its library. When tragedy struck, planes were able to deploy to the same area again and recapture the devastation the storm left in its wake. "We were able to return back a very clear aerial perspective from multiple angles within a day of the storm. So within a very short period of time we were able to produce these amazingly accurate images," said Barrow.
In time of need, the pictures are priceless.
Pictometry recently merged with a Seattle-based company called Eagleview Technologies. Together they have 450 employees and most of the U.S. captured with aerial imagery.
- See more at:
http://rochesterhomepage.net/fulltext?n ... 9KkCi.dpuf
http://www.pictometry.com/
Consider how easy it would be to take a deserted, non-inhabited area, show "before" imagery and then "after" imagery of damage. Collect federal grants for the damage...easy money.
