Region is getting ready for its close-up
Seeing the big picture will take on a new meaning with an upcoming project to bring the Chicago region into greater focus.
Six counties in northeastern Illinois plan to share the cost of aerial mapping to produce bird's-eye views in detail that previously was not available over such a broad area.
The United States Geological Survey has secured a contract and will coordinate the project this spring in Lake, Cook, McHenry, Kane, Will, and DuPage counties. Kendall County also will be included as a result of a contribution from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.
Casual interest aside, the aerial maps are considered vital for a variety of purposes, including homeland security.
Emergency responders use the imagery for disaster planning, and highway engineers can get a better handle on road planning. Police rely on them for detailed views of an area during an emergency, and environmental researchers can gauge changes in the landscape.
"Many, many departments within county government rely on current aerial photography," said Keith Caldwell, acting director of Lake County's geographic information system services division.
Aerial photography was done over the entire state, including the six county Chicago metropolitan area, in 2005. But that was at half the resolution of what's coming.
Known as digital aerial orthoimagery, the images this year will be in 6-inch color, meaning one pixel will equate to six inches on the ground. Last time, one pixel equated to a foot on the ground. Plainly speaking, the new effort will be quite detailed.
"You'll be able to see cars. It's possible you could even see people (but) you won't be able to identify them," said Shelley Silch, the Illinois liaison for the U.S. Geological Survey.
The cooperative effort is expected to provide a seamless view of the seven-county area and allow substantial savings for each participating agency.
Lake County, for example, will save about $70,000 off the typical aerial photo cost of about $160,000.
Aerial photography has been common for generations. However, in a terrorist age, the need for up-to-date information, especially in densely populated areas, is even more pressing.
Federal efforts are ongoing to provide seamless, high-resolution images across the United States. But it is a gradual process that begins state by state and region by region.
There is a lot of disparity in Illinois, for example, Silch said, but the Chicago area has been in the forefront.
"They're doing a lot of coordination. We're not finding that throughout the state," she said.
The last aerial survey in DuPage was in 2006, but the landscape has changed quickly, said William Faedtke, manager of Lake County's geographic information system services division.
"We're finding it's essential for us to have aerial photography on an annual basis," he said.