Virginia Orthophotos & Control
In October of 2001 the state of Virginia began work on the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VBMP). The program’s goal was to establish and maintain one consistent, accurate, foundational digital base map upon which local government and many regional, state, and federal geospatial data applications could be built, producing an efficient statewide geospatial infrastructure. The Virginia Wireless E-911 Services Board funded the VBMP, in support of statewide implementation of federal requirements for E-911 emergency response services for cellular phones. High resolution digital orthophotography was determined to provide the accuracy required for wireless E-911.
The VBMP program was managed by the Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN) Division of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA). VGIN contracted with Infotech LLC. of Herndon, Virginia, to produce full color, “leaf-off”, digital orthophotography for the entire land base of Virginia. The imagery was developed at one of three scales, determined by evaluating population and housing densities.
Challenge
Infotech needed to lead a team of 20 mapping and technology companies to accomplish this mission, including three primary sub-contractors: Air Survey Corp of Sterling, VA, EarthData International of Maryland, LLC, Gaithersburg, MD and BAE SYSTEMS ADR of Pennsauken, NJ.
Orthoimagery products were to be produced at three different resolution and scale combinations, 6” at 1”=100’, 1’ at 1”=200’ and 2’ at 1”=400’. Delivery of the orthophotography was to begin in the summer of 2002 and had to be complete within one year. The State was looking for a high quality base map for use by many State and local organizations for facilities management, emergency response and land planning activities.
With no time to spare, Infotech needed to deliver high-quality products the first time all of the time. They needed a repeatable and consistent system both for internal and subcontracted work.
Solution
Infotech contracted with Lucerne International as their QA/QC advisor. Lucerne worked closely with Infotech and its subcontractors to define a process with built-in quality assurance and control mechanisms.
Lucerne was an integral part of the Infotech QA/QC team; Dr. Terry Keating developed a project-specific quality plan and directed the quality assurance activities of survey, aerotriangulation and digital orthophoto production.
Client
The Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN) is the lead public agency in the Commonwealth for spatial data and GIS. VGIN’s mission is to facilitate the cost-effective development and use of spatial data, GIS, and related technologies in organizations throughout the Commonwealth.
Infotech (formerly VARGIS) is an industry leader in managing the acquisition, quality assurance and delivery of digital orthoimagery to government and commercial clients. Since 1995, Infotech has contracted for the production of digital hundreds of thousands of square miles of orthoimages nationwide.
Results
The VBMP project was completed in June of 2003, on time and under budget. The extent and scope of this project was unprecedented. No entity the size of Virginia had ever attempted to complete this level of digital mapping in such a short time period. Savings to the taxpayer have been estimated between $5 million to $8 million.
The VBMP statewide imagery has produced a single consistent, seamless base map. The seamless, high quality base map enables data sharing for state and local, public and private business applications, including, but not limited to, E-911 response, permit tracking, natural resource protection, transportation planning and economic and labor analysis.
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