Pictometry is a leading provider of geo-referenced aerial, oblique image libraries, and related software. If you are already using their imagery or are planning to, we are happy to announce that we are now participating in Pictometry‘s Demonstration program. The Demonstration program has provided us with Pictometry’s web software development kit (SDK) which will allow us to incorporate Pictometry’s imagery into new applications. So next time you work with us and if you are already using Pictometry, let us know … we might be able to get their imagery into your application.

Pictometry offers users oblique views of features, viewed from any direction. The above example includes three views of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Unlike a traditional GIS that displays information from a top-down perspective, Pictometry’s map information is displayed from both orthogonal and oblique angles, creating a more natural three-dimensional view enabling users to see land features and structures clearly, and in their entirety. You may have already seen examples of Pictometry if you have used the ‘Bird’s Eye’ view in Microsoft’s Live Maps.

The oblique images provide a unique perspective on features, and that perspective is extended even further in the application by enabling users to view features from different directions. There is more to do than just to look at the images, there are tools to perform normal GIS functions like pan, measure lengths, and zoom in and out. More advanced tools enable you to measure height, determine the bearing of a line, and calculate areas.