1. An Update on National
Orthoimagery Programs
Jim Lacy
Wisconsin State Cartographer’s Office
University of Wisconsin-Madison
February 18, 2011

2. Bottom Line Up Front
• More planes in the air than you thought!
• More consumer options than ever before
• Future funding for NAIP is uncertain
• Microsoft is quickly becoming a significant
player in imagery acquisition

3. Who is collecting WI imagery?
• Cities, Counties • USDA Farm Service
• RPCs Agency
• Wisconsin DOT • USDA-NRCS
• DNR Wetlands • USGS
• DNR Forestry • US Forest Service
• DOA Facilities • US Park Service
• DMA Facilities • National Geospatial-
• University of WI System Intelligence Agency
• NOAA • US Army Corps of
Engineers
• Every satellite imagery • Microsoft
vendor on the planet
… and probably a bunch of others I’ve forgotten to
list, or don’t know about!

4. Advanced Ortho Aerial Program
• Microsoft and Digital Globe
• Nationwide 30cm imagery by mid-2012
• “Off the shelf” only
• Govt pricing is $30 or $50/sq mile “depending
on the type of license”
• Specs vary by tile type (high value, standard
value, remote value)

6. Advanced Ortho Aerial Program

7. Bing Maps for Enterprise:
The Michigan Experience
• State of Michigan wanted to use BME to
develop apps
• $400k was tacked onto existing MI enterprise
software licensing agreement
• Provides unlimited access to BME tools and
services for state and local government

8. Michigan and BME
• The deal included 11,000 sq miles of
1-foot leaf-off orthoimagery per year
• Cost model is split:
$28/sq mile for counties
$12/sq mile for state
= $40 total per square mile
• Relevance? MI in effect procured orthos by
licensing software
• http://tinyurl.com/MI-BingMaps

9. Michigan and BME
“We are moving IT (and imagery) into the realm
of a commodity that local governments can
purchase through a state license like they do
with many other commodities (road salt,
desktop computers, ArcGIS licenses)”
Source: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/cgi/Agreement_FAQs_291501_7.pdf

10. Future NAIP Issues
• $30 million in 2010
• FSA is having a harder time supporting the full
cost of the program
• Considering cost recovery options
• Less frequent coverage? Lower resolution?
• What can you do? Share success stories.

11. So What?
• Do you like NAIP?
• More choices means you need to think
carefully about the quality and accuracy you
need to do your job
• The emergence of licensed orthos, in order to
save up-front costs??
• You thought you had a hard time explaining
“why not Google/Bing?” before!

12. Questions?
Jim Lacy
Associate State Cartographer
Wisconsin State Cartographer’s Office
(608) 262-6850
Lacy@wisc.edu