Aerial Perspective: ECEY View: Setting Aerial Imagery Loose in the Workplace

Aerial imagery has traditionally played a supportive role in the fields of engineering and surveying. Often it is integrated into a GIS environment as visual reference for vector content. However, this is where the value of imagery becomes under-used as a means of communication. Access to imagery is limited to a specialized application rather than being integrated into the day-to-day discussions with clients and coworkers. With the release of ECEY View this summer, Aerials Express is encouraging a more fluid role for aerial imagery within the workplace.

Aerial imagery is a great visual communicator. Unlike the often controlled and linear world of engineering, geography is infinitely dynamic and complex. Aerial imagery captures this better than any medium. It is amazing how the most mundane places can generate such interest just by adjusting the perspective. People relate to visual landscapes. They recognize everyday colors, textures, and shapes that no less create an engaging narrative. People naturally read into aerial landscapes, recognizing relationships and situations without prompting. It is compelling because it is familiar; it needs little explanation and relates unlimited amounts of information.

At the same time, aerial imagery is simply data. It can be flawed, just as an incorrect measurement, except the error is represented in terms of time instead of space. The interval between the moment of data collection and use indicates a clear margin between reality and misrepresentation. Users should not have to play historian explaining changes in a landscape; the imagery should tell the story on its own, and current imagery does that; it provides accurate information.

"ECEY (pronounced easy) is actually an acronym for Every City Every Year," explains Bill Landis, President of Aerials Express. "The Every City Every Year initiative represents our commitment to flying our entire nationwide coverage on an annual basis. Current imagery is the foundation of our customer relationship, and we want to reinforce that idea. At the same time, Aerial Express wants to ensure that its clients take full advantage of our product."

Much of the time customers have a specific intention for imagery data and often overlook the fundamental applications. When investing in such powerful and high-quality information as aerial imagery, it is logical to use the information at its full potential. Specifically in the case of engineering and surveying workflows, imagery is largely used within GIS applications as a reference for existing vector data. However, there are many project phases and support functions that do not require intensive geospatial programs but can benefit from including geographic information into their workflow. What ECEY View attempts to do is introduce a simple means of accessing and sharing imagery to communicate within the workplace and with customers.

The process can be very straightforward with a user opening the imagery, marking up a location, and then emailing that content to a client or co-worker. The application is meant to keep pace with a discussion, communicating geographic ideas quickly and easily. Traditional engineering applications are more time consuming and discourage the use of imagery on a regular basis due to the complexity of the program. Such rigorous applications can prevent support and management staff from taking advantage of available imagery resources and turn to inaccurate online sources. ECEY View allows users to take full advantage of their aerial imagery outside of specialized GIS and drafting applications. After acquiring current aerial imagery, it makes sense to maximize the investment on a daily basis and through the scope of a project.

Foremost, ECEY View was developed as an effective way of incorporating aerial imagery into the daily workflow and was designed with a comfortable user experience in mind. In order to respond to the broad user base of Aerials Express imagery, the viewer functionality is versatile, taking various skill levels and applications into consideration. The interface is straight forward and organized so that the user has all available tools and features in plain sight. "I think our users will be very comfortable within the new viewer environment," offered Luke Pritchard, Director of IT. "The tools and functions were crafted for a familiar look and feel. So, anyone with basic knowledge of standard office software will be comfortable with this mapping application. We want users to spend more time using imagery than figuring out the program."

The drawing and annotation tools are key resources when communicating with the imagery. The object and line tools are perfect for illustrating property boundaries, right-of-way, and easements. Shapes and line work can be resized and rotated accordingly. An extensive color palette and opacity feature allow users to create custom graphics that compliment their imagery. Annotation tools are similarly equipped offering a variety of fonts, text size, and color options. A halo option is also included so that text can clearly stand out from the dynamic coloring of the imagery.

ECEY View also offers basic analytical features. Users can generate simple specifications for property areas, building dimensions, or even radial distances using the measurement tool. These tools offer a full range of measurement definitions including metric and American.

While the software gives users a convenient environment for adding visual information to their imagery, ECEY View also has the capability to share content with mainstream GIS and graphics programs. ESRI Shapefile vector data is easily imported as an overlay within ECEY View. MrSID file format raster data is also compatible, offering an extensive opportunity for importing from diverse sources. In addition, users can incorporate imagery content using JPEG and TIFF file format into map layouts.

The application also provides a versatile export function. Users can export georeferenced content through world and tab file formats for use with GIS applications. The opportunity to re-project georeferenced files is also available, making a transition into existing geospatial workspaces easier. JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, and GIF file formats are offered for website design or publication. All data is organized within the layer manager that is color coordinated with content visible within the viewer. "Having a good selection of import and export options is important to our clients," explained Pritchard. "This is why we made compatibility with applications from ESRI, Autodesk, and Abobe a critical element in the development of the viewer."

ECEY View provides useful navigation functions, including a geospatial location search with street address, street intersections, or latitude/ longitude query features. Once the user has found a particular location he or she may choose to save the location as a view. This allows the user to easily revisit the location at any time. The user may also toggle between views for a quick comparative analysis.

With these capabilities, ECEY View offers a comfortable, effective solution for users to communicate their geographical ideas quickly and simply. Aerial imagery has an established value within GIS and drafting applications, but also possesses an untapped potential for contribution within daily interaction, supporting project workflows. "We simply want users to realize the full potential of their aerial imagery," reinforced Landis. "We designed this viewing software for that very purpose." With this easy-to-use package of functions and tools, ECEY View aims to set aerial imagery loose in the workplace.

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