State provides open access to high-resolution geographic images, enhancing public safety, disaster response, infrastructure development and economic development
FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 6, 2024) – Kentucky is now the first state in the nation to capture oblique (side/angle view) photography of its entire geography from the sky. The KYFromAbove Program and its contractor, NV5, achieved this milestone after pilots flew 2,600 flight lines over Kentucky’s beautiful landscape, travelling 117,000 miles and capturing 40,660 square miles of the commonwealth’s land, including our cities, towns, farms, lakes, mountains and more.
“This is an amazing resource that will improve public safety, all while boosting our infrastructure projects and economic development,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “These images will have an immediate impact, because they can help first responders find and assist Kentuckians after a 911 call. And they’ll have a long-term impact, as more companies and families choose to move to our new Kentucky home. Congratulations to KYFromAbove, NV5 and every pilot that helped us lead the nation and reach this goal of statewide coverage.”
Aerial images make it easier for emergency management leaders to assess damage after natural disasters and find safer places to rebuild. They can also enhance:
- economic site development and selection;
- plan and design work for infrastructure projects;
- broadband deployment;
- wildlife management;
- property assessment; and
- a variety of projects undertaken by engineers, surveyors, real estate firms, commercial developers, roofing and fencing contractors, consultants and other professionals.
The NV5 team completed acquisition of oblique imagery of the entire state in just two years, despite challenging requirements to accurately capture Kentucky’s geography. The imagery could only be collected under ideal conditions: no leaves on the trees, no clouds, no snow, no flooding and at a sun angle of greater than 30 degrees.
The KY From Above Program was established in 2010 by the Kentucky Geographic Information Advisory Council (GIAC) and is managed by the Commonwealth Office of Technology’s Division of Geographic Information. Its mission is to democratize access to geographic information in Kentucky by providing detailed elevation data and aerial photography at KYFromAbove.ky.gov, all at no cost to government leaders, the private sector and all Kentuckians.
The new imagery is being stored in a publicly accessible cloud folder, thanks to the Amazon Open Data Sponsorship program. This means that every community across the commonwealth now has access to both oblique and ortho (top-down view) imagery at a stunning three-inch resolution. Typically, these images would only be available in larger cities and counties due to budget constraints, but now, even the smallest communities will have full and equal access.
Dispatchers at Kentucky’s certified 911 call centers are some of the first to benefit from the new aerial images.
“The KyFromAbove aerial photography initiative is highly beneficial to Kentucky’s first responders,” said Mike Sunseri, the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security’s deputy executive director and 911 Services Board administrator. “Adding the ability to leverage oblique imagery is another valuable tool to increase situational awareness during emergencies and better direct emergency response.”
The accuracy and clarity of the new imagery provide an unprecedented aerial view of Kentucky’s landscape and context for hundreds of map layers in state and local government agencies.
“High-resolution orthoimagery is a vital foundational component of our community’s geographic information system and is our most widely used base map,” said Curt Bynum, Louisville/Jefferson County Information Consortium (LOJIC)’s director. “Oblique imagery coming with the most recent, statewide acquisition will be an important new resource for a wide range of public services including emergency response, asset management and economic development in Louisville Metro. LOJIC has been closely involved with the KyFromAbove effort since its beginning in 2010 and we commend our Kentucky Division of Geographic Information for many years of building Kentucky orthoimagery and LiDAR resources and for leading the effort to make Kentucky the first state in the U.S. to acquire statewide oblique aerial imagery.”
The KyFromAbove Explorer web application (based on Sanborn’s Oblique Analyst) has tools for measuring, exporting images and sharing locations with others.
The Governor’s 2024-2026 proposed budget added $5.6 million per fiscal year for KYFromAbove to develop a common digital mapping base. It also allowed the program to carry forward unexpended funds from 2023-2026. Unfortunately, the General Assembly eliminated funding for another statewide acquisition, and did not allow the program to carry forward unexpended funds.
KyFromAbove Explorer Web Application – https://explore.kyfromabove.ky.gov/
About KyFromAbove
The KyFromAbove initiative is focused on building and maintaining a current basemap for the Commonwealth that can meet the needs of its users at the state, federal, local and regional level. A common basemap, including current color leaf-off aerial photography and elevation data (LiDAR), reduces the cost of developing GIS applications, promotes data sharing and adds efficiencies to many state agency business processes. All basemap data acquired through this effort is made available in the public domain. To learn more, visit https://kyfromabove.ky.gov/.
Program Contact
Kent Anness, GIO
Office of Architecture & Governance
Commonwealth Office of Technology
502-564-6268
https://kyfromabove.ky.gov/