Say cheese: Plane to photo property for first-responders

[Redstone]

Norristown (PA) Times-Herald
http://www.timesherald.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14139907&BRD=1672&PAG=461&dept_id=33380&rfi=6

By: MARGARET GIBBONS, Times Herald Staff
03/14/2005

COURTHOUSE - Close the curtains and pull down the blinds.
Next month a plane will be flying over Montgomery County and photographing each of the more than 280,000 properties in the county.

Each property will be photographed from various angles on every side to produce 3-dimensional views of neighborhoods and buildings.

The district attorney's office also has expressed an interest in the image library for crime scene investigations and as a prosecution tool, said Sullivan.

The company will photograph the county sometime in early April, after the snow has melted, but before leaves begin appearing on the trees, said Sullivan. The color images produced by the company have "tremendous clarity," he added.

Any more questions about Big Brother? If you live in Montgomery County, PA, this might be a good time to, uh, tidy up your herb garden.

Redstone

[GetTheRightVote]

1. Yep, they need to keep an eye open for you bad guys & us

:kick:

[Occulus]

2. So is it illegal to build a shroud for your house

if you DON'T want it photographed?

Are they now telling private homeowners what they can and cannot build on their property?

[Mnemosyne]

3. Erie Co., Pa.

Damn helicopters from early May to Oct. Weekly.

We wave, sometimes one finger, well, mostly, okay, all the time!

Thanks for post Redstone.:hi:

:smoke: :evilgrin: :evilgrin: :evilgrin:

[aden_nak]

4. Time to spell out an obscene message with reflective tape in the backyard!

[Squatch]

5. No big whoop. These pics already exist

and are a useful tool. Here's one with 2 ft resolution

[AP]

6. Here's the real story ($$$ not privacy)

The county will pay Pictometry Inc., which is based in New York, $215,000 to create the image library. All of the money will come from homeland security terrorism grant funds secured by the county.

The county's municipalities will have free use of the images, although those wanting prints of the images will have to pay Pictometry $25 an image, Sullivan said.

At the end of the two-year contract, the county will have the option to purchase the image library or negotiate with the company to re-photograph the county.

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. "the money will come from homeland security " - surprise surprise

.
.
.

surprise

They are gonna make money to spy on you!

Watch out all U newd sunbathers you!!

:eyes:

[Redstone]

9. I couldn't quote all that in the original post

because of the copyright rules that DU applies to this forum (and which I agree with; I'm not complaining by saying this).

I don't think the above changes it from a privacy issue to a money issue.

Redstone

[djack23]

12. DavidJ48

I use these images at work. They are very useful for all sorts of applications. Whether it is first responders, zoning / planning etc. Don't work you can't identify people's faces.

David

[AP]

13. I think real issue is whether they're worth the money to a local gov't or

... if this is just an excuse to shift money from public to private entities without the private entity really producing anything of value, and you might be able to help me understand the math.

How do you use thise pictures, and what do you pay for them?

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

8. Here's a chance to tile out a big "FUCK YOU, FASCISTS" on the roof.

Land of the Free and Home of the Brave...my ass.

JB

[liveoaktx]

10. Two years ago a woman came up the drive selling photos

of our property, framed, for 80 smacks apiece. Seems that she and some other guy rented a plane and cruised around snapping photos, which they then hawked door to door for each house-owner. Checked and found out that there was no law restricting them from doing so.

It's more likely that the Montgomery Co deal was one hand washing the other.

[Coastie for Truth]

11. The Fire Departments out here have been doing it for years

They have some software that ties it in to Mapquest and to the Thomas Guide (especially the page number and grid).

I monitor 155.025 MHz -- and frequently Dispatch will supply the fire fighters with "aerial photograph" information as the trucks are on the way (Like "The actual medical scene may be behind the frontage house - driveway to the left of the frontage house" etc.)

I even found a faster way to get to one of the emergency rooms with those aerial photographs.

[woodsprite]

14. Our county does it

and we accessed the database on the web to "pre-view" properties we were considering purchasing.

[flordehinojos]

15. i wonder how many other county and states have done or will become copy

cats and do the same?