Hurricane Helene has caused widespread devastation across the southeastern United States, leaving a trail of destruction more than 500 miles long from Florida to the Carolinas. The storm made landfall at the Big Bend of Florida, on Sept. 26, 2024, as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph.
The death toll has risen to at least 215 across six states, with hundreds more still unaccounted for, reported ABC News. More than 4.5 million people initially lost power due to the hurricane, with more than two million residents still without electricity days after the storm. Utility companies face significant challenges in restoring power due to blocked and damaged roads. The storm’s destruction has rendered many essential roads and bridges impassable, complicating recovery efforts.
Role of GNSS in Recovery
GNSS plays a crucial role in disaster recovery operations. These systems provide essential positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services critical for search and rescue efforts such as flood monitoring. GNSS technology enhances emergency services by enabling synchronized communication networks, providing precise location information and allowing for faster response times. With cell towers and electrical services down, GNSS empowers virtually all disaster recovery efforts.
Over the years, our reliance on GNSS has increased into an aspect of life we often overlook. Its importance is emphasized in times of disaster, PNT is critical.
A recent public safety announcement issued by the Space Force highlights that a critical component of any successful rescue operation is time. Knowing the precise location of landmarks, streets, buildings, emergency service resources and disaster relief sites reduces the time it takes to navigate challenging terrains to save lives. This information is critical to disaster relief teams and public safety personnel in order to protect life and reduce property loss. GPS serves as the fundamental technology in addressing these needs.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is also collecting flood data and repairing damaged streamgages to monitor water levels after Hurricane Helene.
USGS Mapping the Aftermath
As of Oct. 7, USGS provisional streamgage data indicates that at least 34 new flood records were set across the southeast from flooding caused by Helene. Eighteen of these provisional records were set in North Carolina, with six in Tennessee, six in South Carolina, three in Florida and one in Georgia.
In Newport, Tennessee, USGS field crews were able to measure high-water marks left behind by flood waters and determined the Pigeon River reached a provisional peak water level of 29.72 ft. The previous record on this river was 21.40 ft, set in 1902.
As communities begin the long process of rebuilding, they face numerous challenges, including limited resources, prolonged power outages and disrupted communication systems. However, GPS serves as a backbone in the recovery process, highlighting its significance in times of disaster. The full extent of Hurricane Helene’s impact is still being assessed, with authorities warning the death toll may continue to rise as search and rescue efforts progress.
To improve the efficiency of their hydrographic surveying services and expand them, Coastal Geomatics evaluated multiple USV, choosing the CHC Apache 4. (Image: Coastal Geomatics)
Time (and costs) saved using unmanned surface vessels (USV) over conventional methods for hydrography can be dramatic — especially in autonomous mode. Numerous firms, large and small, have discovered how modest investments in such craft can completely revolutionize their hydrographic operations. One such firm is the family owned and operated Coastal Geomatics in North Carolina.
“With conventional methods, it used to take us four weeks with a three- or four-person crew to do the bathymetry for 26 canals that we do every two years for the City of Holden Beach,” Chris Stanley, owner and manager of Coastal Geomatics, said. “Now, with our Apache we do this over four days of high tide; about four to five hours per day.”
Stanley had been surveying in the local area for more than 30 years and had partnered in several local firms. In 2020, he decided to start his own firm, together with his two adult sons Alan and Ian: Coastal Geomatics was born.
“We do a lot of boundary work, and topographic surveys as there is a lot of construction going on in the area,” Alan said. “We also do flood insurance work, FEMA elevation certificates, and hydrographic work — we are on the coast.” Holden Beach is on one of North Carolina’s barrier islands, separated from the mainland by the Intercoastal Waterway. Coastal Geomatics has standing contracts to do hydro work for FEMA beach erosion annually, and the biennial canal surveys for the city.
The move to a USV for hydrographic surveys made a lot of sense, however a past bad experience with the technology prompted Stanley to be extra diligent in choosing a boat. At one firm for which the elder Stanley had worked in the past, they had acquired a USV that he said was essentially “a jet ski, with a mix of components cobbled together.” He added that they had never really gotten it to work right, and it now sits idle in a storage unit.
The Stanleys did some research on the current state of small USV, noting that some still seem like “contraptions” and decided instead to test out three models from CHC Navigation: the Apache 3, 4, and 6. They had considered the tri-hulled Apache 6 for some offshore work they sometimes do, however, they chose the Apache 4 for now. It has a dual GNSS antennas for position and heading that is tightly coupled with an IMU for uninterrupted positions, a single beam echo sounder, and a 360° camera. It has a sensor well that can accommodate most of the popular models of acoustic doppler current profilers (ADCP), though Coastal Geomatics is not presently using an ADCP. It can be run fully autonomously for missions defined in the AutoPlanner software, or remotely piloted — Coastal Geomatics needed both options. They noted how the boat is compact, easy to operate, and all components are well integrated with watertight seals.
For open water areas of their contracted surveys, they put the USV in full autonomous mode, where they say it is quite efficient. However, there are specific tasks where a remote pilot needs to take over.
The canals surveyed for the city to inform dredging operations are about 100 feet wide and each house has a floating dock. There is a 20- to 30-foot strip between the docks. The old method, Ian explained, was to put one of the crew in a small flat bottomed Jon boat, with a crew member on each side of the canal, often with a fourth using a total station. Points across the canal from bulkhead to bulkhead were taken with a long prism pole, handing the pole off to the crew member on the other side after each crossing. The dynamics of which residents’ boats might be at the docks on any given day made full autonomy for that phase of the surveys impractical.
Coastal Geomatics’ solution was to employ a peddle-powered kayak, guiding the Apache remotely. The flexibility of their new craft has enabled the firm to execute multiple types of surveys and expand their hydrographic services more efficiently.
NV5 Geospatial has mapped more than 26 million acres of North America’s shoreline and riverine environments across more than 200 projects.
The projects have spanned from the Nuyakuk River in Alaska, Lake Tahoe in California, the Rio Grande in Texas, the entire coasts of South and North Carolina, the Achigan River in Quebec, Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and the Florida Keys.
In 2022, the company mapped and acquired topobathymetric lidar data for 14 projects including the Yellowstone River, Wyoming; Hells Canyon, Indiana; Revillagigedo Island, Alaska and Iles de la Madeleine in Quebec.
NV5 Geospatial first mapped these environments in 2012 using high-resolution bathymetric lidar and natural color imagery. The company mapped 34,051 acres of shoreline along the Sandy River, located in northwestern Oregon, to study the ever-changing basin geomorphology.
NV5 has also signed a two-year contract with the National Geodetic Survey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide topobathymetric lidar, 4-band imagery and mapping of 3,115 sq miles of the Maine shoreline.
“For a decade we have been helping local, state, and federal government agencies as well as commercial and private entities gain the insights they need to solve some of their most challenging nearshore and riverine projects through our mapping technologies including topobathymetric lidar,” Kurt Allen, vice president of NV5 Geospatial, said. “Whether it be mapping the shoreline after a hurricane, updating the national shoreline, assisting water boards with flood planning, or hundreds of other possible use cases, we are constantly improving our technology and scalability to always be at the ready for our customers.”
Two Walmart locations in Utah, one in Lindon and one in Herriman, are now providing UAV delivery for customers nearby. Walmart has UAV deliveries operated by DroneUp, Flytrex and Zipline at 36 stores in the United States.
For a $3.99 fee, customers within a mile of the stores can receive their groceries via UAVs. The two Walmart locations in Utah can deliver more than 120 times per day and each UAV can carry up to 10 pounds. The hubs for deliveries are in the parking lots of each Walmart location and are operated by Federal Aviation Administration-certified pilots.
Walmart is using UAV delivery in seven states, including Florida, Arizona, Texas, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina and Arkansas. The most common products delivered include ice cream, lemons, rotisserie chicken, Red Bull and paper towels, according to Walmart.
Walmart drone deliveries launched in October 2019 in Arkansas. In 2022, Walmart completed more than 6,000 deliveries across all 36 participating locations.
Many have debated how the surveying profession has morphed into something less than what our predecessors would have called surveying.
In earlier times, the surveyor was an honored figure in the community and held in high regard, like the local doctor and clergy. Surveyors had the final word on boundaries and the limits of a family’s land holdings, so they were treated like royalty.
Measuring devices were simple yet complicated enough for only the trained person to understand how boundary lines were determined. Surveyors during those times depended much on natural monumentation and terrestrial features; these items made for solid and definable boundaries. Measurements along these features were to be completed only by surveyors and their means of determining distances.
Much has changed since those centuries past, including the reputation of the surveying profession. No longer are we mentioned in the same breath as doctors, clergy and lawyers. Even engineers are seen as “more professional” than surveyors. Many have debated how the surveying profession has been degraded from the noble status it once enjoyed and morphed into something less than what our predecessors would call surveying.
There are many layers to each of the previously described professions, but they all have several things in common: each one relies on data collection, analysis, and professional opinion. Each of these steps requires a specific skill set that includes education and experience. Nowhere in this process does it allow for advancing technology to completely replace any of these steps.
The evolution of technology and associated tools may help improve the profession, but it will not replace the knowledge necessary to be considered a true professional. Data collection within most professions is the biggest beneficiary of technology; surveying is a testament to these advancements. The breakdown, however, is the availability of the technology to the public and turning non-practitioners into low budget pseudo-surveyors.
Here is the abridged version of the definition of “professional” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online:
professional (adjective)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession
: engaged in one of the learned professions
: characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession professional (noun)
: one who is professional
: one who engages in a pursuit or activity professionally
Similar professions have several examples of how the collection of data is a separate process and experience level from its analysis. Consider the following:
MRI technicians train for their jobs through education, interning and experience. They know how to place patients within the equipment, shield them, apply the rays, and produce the scans as required by their job description. In simple terms, they are data collectors of patients’ medical conditions. Technicians do not analyze the scans nor offer any opinion on the prognoses of the patients. They are, however, relied upon to obtain the proper scans correctly and efficiently for review by doctors.
Staff accountants or clerks are typically charged with data entry, maintaining ledgers and journals, and verifying data/entry accuracies. Often, clerks organize invoices, statements, and other receivables for input into clients’ accounts. Much of the work for this position is electronic and relies on the employees to be savvy with spreadsheets and able to import various data formats and spot suspect data. Once this work is completed, it become the responsibility of certified public accountants (CPAs) to review and certify the information. The key role here, however, is the accurate compilation of the accounting data.
Paralegals play a key role in doing the heavy lifting of data collection for lawyers. Paralegals perform client and case research, interview witnesses, handle discovery of case information, and draft many of the documents needed by lawyers. They are tasked with assembling exhibits, delivering and filing necessary court documents, and helping with trial preparation. While they cannot express legal opinions on any case matter, it is the paralegals’ work that lawyers use to develop case strategies. Once again, the data collection is the key to the success of the lawyers’ work.
Professional surveyors are no different from doctors, accountants, and lawyers in these examples. They rely on data collection obtained by experienced staff trained to operate sophisticated instruments and data collectors.
Field technicians often serve as surveyors’ eyes, so specific training is necessary to ensure that they can accurately locate the required information. Technicians, however, cannot offer legal opinions on the location of land and parcel boundaries.
This function is solely on the shoulders of land surveyors, who are licensed specifically in that jurisdiction to apply legal principles and case law to boundary issues.
There is one in every crowd — the North Carolina lawsuit
For those who are not paying attention, we are solidly in the 21st century and fully engulfed in the proliferation of geospatial data. Surveyors remain at the forefront of these technological advances with a plethora of tools and techniques being introduced on a regular basis.
These tools and associated software are much advanced compared to their earlier surveying instrument counterparts, but through extensive programming and easy-to-use interfaces, this equipment may seem simple to use to the layperson. The elder surveying generation likes to refer to newer technicians as button pushers, because the users perform no true calculations.
Yes, there are necessary checks and balances even with the new equipment, but the knowledge to operate these instruments is user-friendly and intuitive. So what happens when the technology is used by someone who is not a surveyor?
Among the hazards of making these newer tools and software widely available is how they are used by the non-professional public. As many surveyors have already read about in the news and social media, a UAV operator in North Carolina has filed suit against the NC Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors.
The board previously ordered the operator to discontinue his UAV flights that engaged in mapping, surveying and photogrammetry services. The operator had been providing images to realtors and homeowners that depicted graphical lines representing property lines, but also included a disclaimer that the product was not intended for surveying purposes. The board ruled he was surveying without a license. The operator is now suing the board and accusing them of violating his First Amendment rights of free speech.
This case is a high-tech example of what surveyors have faced in the past with overzealous owners of metal detectors. Many instances of low-budget outfits and even fence installers have been brought before state licensing boards because they misrepresented surveying services.
It should also be noted that survey field crews who use their equipment during off hours to help family or friends with property location without their licensed supervisor’s knowledge face the same consequences. While the “corner finders” are somewhat harmless and get a slap on the wrist from licensing boards, it is the high-tech offenders who are creating much of the harm to the public.
These situations with unlicensed surveying practices have greatly increased simply because of the available technology and low cost of entry. While GNSS receivers, robotic total stations, and associated data collectors are still quite expensive, new remote-sensing applications are being produced using consumer-grade equipment and advancing software. As technology continues to increase based upon miniaturization and capability, the costs also continue to decrease based upon volume of sales.
Leading the charge into non-licensed use of new technology is the UAV and the new standard use of GPS technology within its guidance system of reasonably priced units. Hobby planes and helicopters have been around for years but required lots of skill and space to fly and were quite expensive. The invention of the multi-rotor UAV with integrated GPS has created an easy-to-fly vehicle with lots of capability.
Couple this new vehicle with a high-resolution camera for photos and video; now it allows amateurs to be aerial cinematographers. Image storage space is not an issue due to increased SD card capacity and speed.
A well-built UAV with all these capabilities is now very affordable and available everywhere. This revolution has led to larger format platforms with more rotors and heavier payloads for more sophisticated cameras and sensors. Once you have the photos and video, now you must do something with them.
The advancement of software technology for processing photos, video, and remote sensing modules has become the hottest ticket in site modeling. The combination of the UAV’s capability and the software’s output enables trained pilots and software technicians to provide orthometric-based imagery. This imagery was previously completed by airplanes and cameras costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and processed by technicians on high-end computers using years of skill and experience.
This entire operation can now be completed by one person with less than a $5,000 initial investment. This is a far cry from the funding needed in years past to outfit a survey vehicle with the necessary equipment and personnel to do this same project.
Enter the FAA and new rules for flying unmanned aircraft. After much consideration, the FAA instituted guidelines for flying UAVs along with requiring a pilot’s certification to fly for commercial purposes. They also specified limits to UAV sizes and payloads, and limited flights to 400 feet above the ground.
Many companies have purchased UAVs to provide aerial photos of their own facilities and projects, but fail to realize that publishing their images or videos qualifies them as a commercial user. Unfortunately, these regulations are much like driving a car without a license or insurance — it is only against the law if one is caught.
The iPhone 12 Pro’s lidar scanner
Another technology that will be catching on soon is lidar imagery from smartphones. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max contain sensors capable of capturing lidar data that is easily imported into computer drafting software. Several phone apps are also available for integrating this data into survey drawings. Geospatial data is literally at your fingertips.
50 states, 50 rulebooks
Rules and policies are put in place to regulate various professions and surveying is no different. The goal of these rules is simply to protect the public. Unlawful practice by non-licensed and/or non-qualified persons is a detriment to public safety.
The question is often raised about professional surveying licensure and the ability to practice in multiple states. Each state differs in statutory rules regarding boundary surveys. The colonial states (and Texas) follow a metes-and-bounds standard while the remaining states generally adopt a PLSS rule. Local surveying methods, terrain challenges and early settlers often affected the statutes enacted by each state, therefore variations in licensing must be applied to applicants.
However, the guiding principles for land surveyors remain the same in all states to protect the public. Boundary establishment and retracement is the sole responsibility of licensed land surveyors.
The tools of the trade are a completely different matter. Controlling the surveying services would be easier if the equipment and supplies necessary to do the work were only available to licensees, but the free market will never let that happen. If a company has $30,000 and wants a robotic total station but has no surveying license, the dealer will not stop the sale. When we drop the price tag to an $800 UAV purchase for performing aerial photography, no one bats an eye. As the cost of equipment continues to fall, the number of unlicensed users will climb.
Photo: Francesco Scatena/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
‘Men have become the tools of their tools’ (Henry David Thoreau)
The point of this topic is that surveying is not about the tools necessary to complete the task. Surveyors carried out their work for thousands of years before electronic instruments and can continue to do so if they choose. The advancement of the equipment and the technology has made it easier for surveyors to do their work, but the true meaning of the task lies within the profession.
Boundary analysis and determination is the responsibility of land surveyors. Data collection for that analysis can be completed by technicians using a variety of measuring tools. The team works together to complete the surveying process.
Anyone can buy the tools; that, however, does not make them qualified to use them properly. It is not reasonable for one to buy a scalpel and offer brain surgery with a disclaimer. Ask any surveyor; there are some boundary retracements that are the equivalent of brain surgery. And we do not get to put a disclaimer on it.
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded air carrier and operator certification to UPS Flight Forward, an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) delivery company.
Through the DOT’s UAS Integration Pilot Program, the FAA has now approved a Part 135 operating certificate for UPS Flight Forward. This allows the company to perform revenue-generating package delivery activities within federal regulations.
UPS Flight Forward may now operate multiple drones under one certificate. Under Part 135, the company can deliver vital healthcare supplies including by flying beyond visual line of sight.
The UPS subsidiary immediately launched the first drone delivery flight by any company under Part 135 Standard at WakeMed’s hospital campus in Raleigh, N.C. That flight, using a Matternet M2 quadcopter, was flown under a government exemption allowing for a beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operation, also a first in the U.S. for a regular revenue-generating delivery.
UPS said it has proven the need for drone delivery in healthcare operations, where the shortest time in transit can improve efficiency and help healthcare professionals better serve patients.
The medical delivery program at WakeMed is the result of testing conducted by UPS and Matternet in August of 2018 as part of their participation in the UAS Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP).
UPS partnered with Matternet to launch its healthcare delivery service on the WakeMed campus. The revenue-generating service demonstrated the business case for drone delivery of medical products and specimens.
Now, with its Part 135 Standard certification, UPS is ready to build on this application and expand to a variety of critical-care or lifesaving applications.
Photo: UPS
“This is history in the making, and we aren’t done yet,” said David Abney, UPS chief executive officer. “Our technology is opening doors for UPS and solving problems in unique ways for our customers. We will soon announce other steps to build out our infrastructure, expand services for healthcare customers and put drones to new uses in the future.”
The company will initially expand its drone delivery service further to support hospital campuses around the country, and to provide solutions for customers beyond those in the healthcare industry.
Part 135 Standard certification enables UPS to integrate drones into the UPS logistics network, creating potential for new applications in many industries. The company has a long-term plan with milestones that include:
expansion of the UPS Flight Forward delivery service to new hospitals and medical campuses around the country.
rapid build-out of ground-based, detect-and-avoid (DAA) technologies to verify drone safety, while enabling future service expansion.
construction of a centralized operations control center.
regular and frequent drone flights beyond the operator’s visual line of sight.
partnerships with additional drone manufacturers to build new drones with varying cargo capacities.
adding new services outside of the healthcare industry, including the transport of special commodities and other regulated goods.
“UPS is committed to using technology to transform the way we do business,” said Scott Price, UPS chief transformation and strategy officer. “UPS’s formation of a drone delivery company and application to begin regular operations under this level of certification is historic for UPS and for the drone and logistics industries.”
As a participant in the U.S. Transportation Department’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) partnered with UPS Flight Forward. As the operator, they have been engaged in delivery of healthcare supplies around a major hospital campus in Raleigh, North Carolina. The flights have focused on the delivery of blood for potentially life-saving transfusions, as well as other medical samples for lab work.
The company demonstrated that its operations met the FAA’s rigorous safety requirements to qualify for an air carrier certificate. This is based on extensive data and documentation, as well as test flights.
Nearmap high-resolution aerial image of Durham, North Carolina, photographed Jan. 15. (Photo: Nearmap)
Location content provider Nearmap has partnered with the city of Durham, North Carolina, to help it manage infrastructure projects.
The city’s Public Works Department uses Nearmap’s high-resolution imagery to aid in managing all infrastructure data for the city, including the city’s $16 million a year Stormwater Utility Fund.
“Having access to imagery back to 2014, we’re able to go back in time during the thrust of development and monitor it forward,” said Edward Cherry, Durham’s GIS administrator. “With Nearmap, we’ve been able to update development processes and policies to support the revitalization of the downtown district as well as rapid city growth.”
After using satellite imagery systems with low resolution and infrequent captures, Cherry and his staff of 14 GIS professionals determined the city needed superior mapping imagery.
Captured every six months at a 2.8-inch ground sample distance, Nearmap supplies Durham with clear images that are up-to-date and accessible through web-based cloud servers, the company said.
The result is better monitoring of pavement conditions; time savings and documentation of road repairs; more detailed maps of city riparian zones; and accurate and detailed customer billing.
Newly captured aerial maps show before and after images to support cleanup efforts by public safety organizations, utility companies and insurance agencies.
Aerial mapping company Nearmap has flown and captured aerial imagery in the areas in North and South Carolina impacted by Hurricane Florence.
The imagery is already supporting the extensive cleanup and reconstruction efforts for public safety, utility companies, insurance agencies and numerous contractors in many industries.
High-resolution captures from the Wilmington and Myrtle Beach areas are now online and available for immediate use with more areas scheduled to come online over the next several days.
The post-hurricane coverage includes about 4,530 square kilometers around the coastline from Newport, N.C., to Myrtle Beach, S.C., covering a population of about 752,000 people.
High-resolution imagery shows the impact of Hurricane Florence at Southport, North Carolina, comparing September 2017 to September 2018. (Image: Nearmap)
Before the hurricane, Nearmap had already covered more than 30,000 square kilometers in North and South Carolina with ortho imagery and more than 12,000 square kilometers with oblique imagery. With previous aerial maps taken at least once a year totaling over 140,000 square kilometers online, some of them dating back to 2014, users are able to compare current imagery with historical photos.
“A key element to the recovery efforts is having access not only to high-resolution imagery from after the storm, but also to historical aerial captures from before the storm hit,” said Rob Newman, CEO and managing director of Nearmap. “Historical captures provide consistency and contrast, enabling crews to look at the current truth on the ground and compare it to previous time periods to help assess the damage along the coastlines.”
All pre- and post-hurricane imagery can be accessed through a standard web browser using Nearmap’s MapBrowser, through Nearmap partners or via APIs to integrate with common GIS, CAD and other applications.
All the Nearmap pre- and post-hurricane imagery is published at sub-3-inch ground sampling distance, which allows users to see great detail on the ground. At this resolution, they can clearly identify important ground conditions such as roof blow-off, property damage and flooding. The same is true for streets and all other ground features, providing details for users to complete analysis both pre and post storms.
“Our thoughts are with the residents of North and South Carolina recently impacted by the hurricane,” Newman said. “We are pleased that Nearmap customers are using our imagery to help restore these neighborhoods, and help residents fix and rebuild after rooftop, flooding and other damage.”
Nearmap customers use aerial imagery to assist in the following aspects of post-disaster cleanup:
Public Safety: Access to immediate, crystal-clear aerial imagery of areas affected by storm damage for emergency response routing and safety.
Utilities: View all areas where above-ground utilities have been affected and also see where infrastructure is down or damaged and causing hazards.
Reconstruction Efforts: Compare historical image captures with post-event imagery to see structure elements and provide proper measurements to rebuild.
Insurance: View impacted properties to see first-hand damage and potential structural damage.
Location content provider Nearmap has partnered with the City of Durham, North Carolina, Public Works Department to upgrade its imagery on numerous projects.
Using real-time imagery from Nearmap in the field, the department streamlines data collection and saves time and money.
The department manages all infrastructure data for the city, including mapping the impervious area (structures that resist water infiltration) for the city’s $16 million a year Stormwater Utility Fee fund. “That is half a billion square feet of impervious area that we manage through digitization and review daily,” said Edward Cherry, city GIS administrator.
After using several satellite imagery systems with low resolution and infrequent captures, Cherry and his 14-member GIS staff determined the city needed far superior quality in their mapping imagery to accommodate the city’s explosive growth.
Captured every six months at a 2.8-inch ground sample distance, Nearmap now supplies Durham with up-to-date images accessible through web-based cloud servers.
With Nearmap, the Durham Public Works Department has achieved better monitoring of pavement conditions; time savings and documentation of road repairs; more detailed maps of city riparian zones; and accurate and detailed customer billing.
“With Nearmap, we’ve been able to update development processes and policies to support the revitalization of the downtown district as well as rapid city growth,” Cherry said.
