Maryland’s Imagery Acquisition Partnership 2006

Background

High resolution, digital imagery has become a mission critical product for federal, state and local government agencies throughout Maryland. Image credit: Howard Co. Recognizing this and the fact that the acquisition and access to such imagery can be improved, the Maryland State Geographic Information Committee (MSGIC) is leading an effort to acquire high resolution, digital imagery for the entire state. This imagery is to be acquired in the spring of 2007 and is designed to meet the needs of federal, state and local government agencies and others within the State. The cost will be borne by partners.

The Partnership

Many potential partners have expressed interest in this effort. They include: MSGIC; the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Geological Survey; the Maryland agencies of Natural Resources, Planning, Transportation (Highway & Aviation), Towson & Salisbury Universities; the local governments of Howard, Anne Arundel, St. Mary’s, Worcester, Talbot, Frederick and others. The plan has several tasks and includes options that are still being worked through. SHA will act as the procurement agency, receiving funds from partners, releasing the RFP and contracting for the work. The imagery will be inspected for quality. Counties will receive a copy of the data for their county with an option for adjacent areas. The State will “own” the data.

Basic Specifications

Natural color. Pixel resolutions of between 6” and 12” (see options below). Image credit: MD DNR Compressed and native images suitable for GIS, CAD, call center applications and other uses. The data will be considered a public database – accessible to all. This is a requirement of the federal funds. Considerations for critical features can be made.

Option 1. The entire state is flown at a mix of 6” and 12” pixel resolution based on population density as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Option 2. The entire state is flown at a consistent pixel resolution of 6 inches.

Benefits

• Enhanced 911 service
• Specifications meet partner’s needs.
• Consistent product.
• Seamless coverage.
• Quality inspected.
• State handles procurement.
• Opportunities for partners to upgrade, e.g. a county upgrades to 6” or 3” pixels.
• Cost savings of approximately 25% over “ad-hoc” purchases.
• An update frequency of every 2 -3 years is anticipated which permits partners to plan and budget for value added features e.g. road centerline updates, parcels, etc.

Funding

The plan provides two different options depending on the funding available. Both cover the entire state. Funding will dictate the plan chosen. The estimated costs are $1.7M for Option 1 and $3.3M for Option 2.

Funding to date:

$1.5 Million.

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