January 2010 Vol. 237 No. 1

TechNotes

Provider Calls Pictometry® A Revolutionary Technology For The Pipeline Industry

Pictometry®, according to its provider, is the innovative technology that changed the face of public safety less than 10 years ago and is today becoming the new and “disruptive” technology for the pipeline industry.

The proprietary technology from Pictometry International Corp. of Rochester, NY, was originally designed for federal, state and local government use. Today the technology is being aligned with the expanding needs of pipeline construction operators by providing them a one-stop source of geo-based business solutions.

From such tasks as image-based decision making, vegetation analytics, HCA (High Concentration Area) verification and elevation modeling, the technology lets users work more effectively – and at a lower cost – than was previously considered possible, according to the provider. “(It) gives pipeline users the ability to locate sensitive environmental areas and plan a route with the confidence of knowing they’re using the most sophisticated geospatial information available,” says Jim Murray, Pictometry’s vice president – oil and gas pipelines.

Government Use Of Pictometry
For government users in public safety, accessing Pictometry means being able to instantly identify a 911 caller’s location and to see all the way around their building or
area before dispatching responders. For those called to the scene, it means being able to see, measure and plan for the allocation of resources while en route.

How It Works
The technology’s patented visual information system uses a fleet of 75 aircraft to capture imagery in 143 countries and territories. The fleet captures high resolution (2-12 inch resolution) aerial, oblique imagery (imagery captured at an angle to reveal greater locational detail) for every square foot of a flown location. Geo-referenced and locationally accurate, this imagery is also enabled with accurate metric measurement capabilities.

Images are continually updated and warehoused in a global image library which contains more than 130 million images. Users access the library via Pictometry Online™, a Web-based deployment application which enables user teams to work and communicate directly on imagery using just an internet connection, username and password. In the office or in the field, users can instantly access 3D-like, measurable intelligent images, along with a suite of measuring and analytical tools. It also enables users to overlay pertinent GIS information directly on the imagery to create an even more powerful and comprehensive tool that integrates easily with existing interfaces.

Jesse Bajnok, project manager for TransCanada, is one of the pipeline industry’s earliest adopters. Bajnok says, “This is breakthrough technology, a tremendous resource and an incredible value.” He is using the imagery to help oversee a pipeline construction project which will run from Alberta, Canada to Houston. Contact information– www.pictometry.com, 585-444-2500 ext. 575.