Field Inspection Auto Mapping Through GPS Photography

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

Arizona’s Maricopa County has one o the fastest growing populations in the nation. The resulting residential and commercial development occurs in a region also prone to flooding due to topography, soil conditions, and a sprawling network of washes, creeks and rivers. To monitor development in and around floodplains, the Flood Control District of Maricopa County has a team of inspectors dedicated to floodplain-use code enforcement and floodplain-use permit inspections throughout the more than 9,000 square miles of the county. In an effort to save time in the inspectors’ work flow process, eliminate paper files, and provide shared electronic file storage, a system was developed to provide the seamless transition of data from the field to the office. The Field Inspection AutoMapping through GPS Photography system utilizes a Global Positioning System digital camera to record inspection images with latitude and longitude coordinates; an application where inspection images are downloaded and data is embedded as visible watermarks in the images; and a GIS mapping application through which the images and data are displayed. The new system increases workflow efficiency, and consolidates data and images into a shared-access application.