InSiteful Imagery - Online Aerial Photography

General information

At the heart of the InSiteful Imagery® applications, we have developed a proprietary aerial photograph geo-rectification procedure to properly display small-format vertical (map-like) digital images in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment at a resolution up to ten times better than what is typically commercially available. Oblique, (at-an-angle) aerials are also collected for additional visualization of current conditions.

Time-sequenced vertical photographs are combined with other geospatial benchmark data of interest and made available to authorized project members on-line. The fuel of the service is the professional aerial photographer who has mastered the art of efficiently obtaining digital oblique and vertical photographs of moderately sized project sites at specified resolution/s.

Technical Information:

InSiteful Imagery® allows project professionals, including field inspectors, to more efficiently document and communicate actual conditions on a project site.

Geotechnical Engineering

• The licensed geotechnical engineer uses InSiteful Imagery® to reduce costs affiliated with multiple site visits and ground surveys. The engineer needs to monitor and document all earthwork construction on a major commercial construction project. The engineer needs to verify, document, and report the precise locations and amounts of bad soil encountered, rock blasted, and the disposition of topsoil to the construction manager and project owner (to approve additional payment requests, as well as to conduct engineering analysis, etc). The engineer’s soil technician uses a mobile device like an iPad to send scaled custom photomaps notes back to the office. The end result in the long term is more profit to the developer and the engineer, as well as a drastically reduced potential for construction-related disputes.

Environmental and Natural Resources

• InSiteful Imagery® is used by consultants to cost-effectively supplement ground inspections and efficiently monitor, document, report problems, and avoid potential enforcement action costs. These projects include wetlands and stream restoration, invasive species monitoring, as well as other sensitive environmental challenges. Instead of simply noting the location and taking a ground photo of adverse conditions, the field professional can now make a custom map from custom imagery for superior documentation and communication. The regulatory agency responsible for monitoring of permit conditions is severely understaffed and cannot visit all projects in the assigned region, nor should they have to. A more efficient and responsible private sector drives change, resulting in less government, and a better protected environment.

• The use of InSiteful Imagery® by aquatic biologists means that aerial assessment and monitoring budgets go a lot farther with higher quality (resolution) imaging results made more readily available to those on the project team. The aquatic biologist is engaged in helping to assess, monitor, and control the growth of various aquatic weeds along the shoreline in a large reservoir serving millions of people. The current means of monitoring weed growth throughout the year includes expensive (and potentially dangerous) mobilization of people in small boats to survey multiple shoreline areas. Alternate means to map the entire reservoir by use of traditional mapping aircraft are also expensive, less responsive, and entail lower resolution, non-digital photographing techniques. Using InSiteful Imagery® results in more effective decision making, better water quality, and better use of public money.

Construction

• InSiteful Imagery® is a Best Management Practice for many large construction projects with numerous stakeholders. The savvy construction company uses InSiteful Imagery® to eliminate capital, overhead, and variable costs associated with storing, managing, and sharing digital photos as a business tool. A multiple-office large commercial construction company has traditionally allowed the individual project managers discretion in using aerial photography to document construction progress in managing a project. Digital oblique photo files are traditionally provided for the PM to share as desired, or the files are posted to the company share drive for casual viewing. InSiteful Imagery® is a documentation tool to support construction reporting, client briefings, email communications, and pay requests across the enterprise. In-field personnel may obtain, annotate, and email field photomaps to "higher-ups". Frequent monitoring greatly reduces the need for site visits by lenders and higher management. Any member of the leadership team can check on construction progress, query PM's, share the information with lenders, or check on the performance of subcontractors. A big bonus is having access to project data pre-loaded to the map service and having earthwork data at your fingertips. The end result is that properly shared aerial photography and photomaps leads to drastically improved business efficiencies and increased knowledge, all resulting in larger profits and decreased business risk.

Real Estate Asset Management

• Inspectors of large industrial warehouses, shopping malls, and other large-footprint facilities use InSiteful Imagery® to help in assessing, documenting, and reporting the condition of rooftops, pavements, and other high-dollar real estate improvements to asset managers. The custom map tools allow identification and quantification of visible defects such as cracks and potholes for more accurate pavement condition assessment, as well as export GIS files that can be used for pavement rehabilitation planning. InSiteful Imagery® allows nearly unlimited sharing of very high resolution aerial information to assist in better decision making for repairs, capital improvements, and capital reserve planning.

Homeland Security/ Disaster Assessment

• InSiteful Imagery® is a powerful tool that can be used at all levels to conduct response planning and critical infrastructure assessment during emergencies. Either remotely, or in the field using a mobile device, all personnel have a common operating picture for time-sensitive collaboration, documentation, and decision making.

Bridge and Critical Infrastructure Assets

• InSiteful Imagery® is used by bridge inspectors to assist in bridge deck condition evaluation without having to shut down the interstate or risk getting run over. Using a mobile device such as the iPad or Galaxy s5, an inspector can order patent-pending custom-processed imagery prior to the inspection, and use the photomap-making capabilities to prepare more detailed documentation of the deck surface for reporting. The custom map tools allow identification and quantification of deck defects such as cracks and potholes for more accurate deck condition assessment and condition rating, as well as export GIS files that can be used for deck rehabilitation planning. The sub-inch resolution imagery is then used by inspectors, engineers, managers, and repair specialists on-line to make smarter decisions for deck assessment rehabilitation. Yet another example of how the private sector can take the lead in assisting more efficient infrastructure management.

Corporate Agriculture

• The corporate farmer competes in a world where monitoring of the land and the crop from above is paramount to effective decision making and precision agronomy. The farmer and crop consultants use high resolution color and color infrared imagery to assess pre-plant soil and drainage conditions, to monitor the health of the crop during the growing season, and to determine proper crop rotation schedules. InSiteful Imagery® makes it easy to perform detailed analysis, share the information with other specialists and advisers, as well as suppliers and buyers who may be located far away from each other. A huge benefit is also to be able to use the high resolution imagery to sub-sect the land into management zones and export GIS files essential for the precision application of appropriate interventions.