LEXINGTON, Ken. (AP) -- The move to Pictometry, a software program for aerial photography, is saving Lexington government both time and money.
Lexington police unveiled the program at headquarters yesterday, touting its ability to pull up high-quality aerial shots of any location in the city within seconds.
"We have had aerial photographs before that cost twice as much and took nine months to get results back for," said David Lucas, director of enhanced 911 for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.
"And the old way only got one photo -- a straight down shot of the roof."
With Pictometry, which costs $1,000 for a two-year lease, Lucas said aerial shots taken in May were ready for use just 10 weeks later -- and showed up to 12 different high-resolution views of any property.
"You could literally walk around the building and see every side," Lucas said.
The city originally leased the software in May 2004 to be used by 911 dispatchers. It can be used to view any property, building, highway or other feature in Fayette County.
Lucas said it was eventually rolled out to other public safety divisions as its benefits became apparent.
"Its biggest advantage is the detail and accuracy of the photos," he said. "You can tell if the sunroof on a car is open or not."
He lauded Pictometry's ability to decrease response time by police. "It's as simple as typing in an address -- it pulls the property right up," he said.
Building inspectors and city planners will also benefit tremendously from the program, Lucas said.
"When people call with complaints, inspectors can pull up a shot of the property and say 'Well, you don't have the required Dumpsters,' and city planners can say 'You can't put a building there, you have to set it off a hundred feet,'" he said. "It saves them from going out to the field."
