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Read More News Geospacialists Expose High-Resolution Destruction of KatrinaOctober 19, 2005By: Shaun Loretz, Director of Communications
Cooper Aerial Surveys Co. deployed flight operations to Louisiana and Mississippi to take low-altitude, high-resolution photographs of the devastated areas left by Hurricane Katrina in an effort to help developers and government agencies alike. The goal of this project is to showcase our great capacity for superb detail in aerial mapping using cutting-edge technology. At first, this didn’t seem possible since there were altitude restrictions before September 31st for rescue efforts, but these were lifted and allowed the mission to continue on October 4th, only 35 days after Katrina hit.
With the help of Mr. Philip Gershkovich in Cooper Aerial’s corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, flight plans were drawn to fly along the coastline where the most damage occurred. Mr. Gershkovich used the highest in GIS standards to harvest information for the flight plans. He started by taking satellite imagery to define the spatial location of the intended photographs by finding the latitude and longitude of the start and end points. Next, he determined the size and amount of photographs (models) needed to cover the desired area, then mathematically calculated the fewest amount of flight paths for the plane to fly in order to get as many pictures as needed without wasting fuel. Finally, Mr. Gershkovich electronically relayed the information to the flight crew so the pilot knows where to fly and the photographer knows the specific site zones to capture on film.
The operation was headed by Mr. Glen Lewis (image acquisition specialist) and Mr. Mike Wong (mission pilot), both with over twenty years experience with Cooper Aerial. They flew in a turbocharged Cessna 206, the recommended plane for use in any aerial mapping venture. The aircraft was equipped with an RC-30 first-order metric aerial camera system with both forward motion compensation (FMC) as well as a sophisticated gyro-stabilizing mount. This allows for amazingly clear photographs from a vertical point of view without the distraction of angular movement or turbulence. The lens on the RC-30 is even considered the highest rated lens to date by the USGS. Hundreds of 9”x9”photographs were taken by the state-of-the-art Swiss camera in order to put together a mosaic of images covering the vast acres of coastline. By photographing so much terrain, Cooper Aerial can share a wide variety of images with the general public and can even focus on certain areas in great detail depending on the need. Digital photos (DOIs) were also taken by Mr.Lewis for personal and public purposes and can be found on the Cooper Aerial website.
Cooper Aerial has orthorectified the images to be spatial referenced with sub .5” resolution in both color and black-and-white. These images can be further formatted to fit topographic or other mapping needs using the latest CAD and GIS programs. Some of the reduced resolution images are available to the general public and government agencies free for download through Cooper Aerial’s website at www.cooperaerial.com with the supreme quality, high-resolution images available for purchase. Any inquiries should be directed to Shaun Loretz at shaun@cooperaerial.com. Cooper Aerial Surveys Co. is an enthusiastic, multi-disciplinary aerial mapping company that caters to all industries including engineering, architectural, and mining firms; real-estate developers; and municipal, local, and state government agencies. Our expertise includes topographic and orthographic mapping methods through state-of-the-art photogrammetry technologies providing extremely-high resolution imagery. Backed by highly-qualified and customer-oriented geoapatialists, our projects are achieved with the utmost professionalism and efficiency to uphold our highest of quality standards. Cooper Aerial also utilizes all aspects of the mapping process in order to create incredible accuracy in production as well as the final product. With our knack for excellent customer relations, Cooper Aerial can help you accomplish the right solutions for your needs. Read More News
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