January 22, 2014 – Plans are moving forward for the acquisition of GIS-quality digital aerial photos and other products across the Bi-State Region in the spring of this year. Staff have been working with local jurisdictions to coordinate coverage areas and products in this joint effort. Consortium members have selected Kucera International, out of Willoughby, OH to provide aerial mapping services for the project. Participants include: (IA) Clinton, Mercer, Muscatine & Scott Counties and (IL) Henry County and the cities of Aledo, Carbon Cliff, Coal Valley, East Moline, Milan, Moline, Port Byron, Rock Island, and Silvis. Products include digital color orthophotography, LiDAR, digital elevation models, digital terrain models, contours, and planimetric mapping. Staff coordinated similar multi-jurisdictional efforts in 2005 and 2009. Participants anticipate a 25–40% cost savings by coordinating the flight and purchasing aerial products together.
Watch the sky for the planes collecting imagery. They’ll be in the air between mid-March and mid-April, when the snow has melted, there is no flooding, and no leaf cover. Think spring! For more information, contact Lisa Miller, Data/GIS Director at 309.793.6302, ext. 133 or
