SOUTH JORDAN, Utah- Nearmap, a location content provider specializing in high-resolution aerial maps, has helped streamline stormwater billing activities for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD). NEORSD uses Nearmap as a crucial tool in providing GIS users and customers with accurate stormwater billing based on imagery analysis. Utilizing Nearmap’s unique, up-to-date aerial view of properties has allowed NEORSD to assess changes in impervious surfaces, roofs and outbuildings that create stormwater runoff. This analysis leads to accurate, timely stormwater billing for the ratepayers NEORSD serves.
“The blend of Esri’s mapping technology and Nearmap’s current and historical imagery have allowed our team to identify features that are essential in stormwater billing,” said Jeff Duke, manager of GIS Services at NEORSD, where his GIS team uses these tools to identify additions to homes or changes in a driveway. “Because of the resolution from Nearmap and the functions in Esri, we’re able to efficiently complete the change analysis and deliver timely, accurate billing to our ratepayers. If we had to rely on other sources of imagery, which are not available in a timely manner, we simply could not get the job done.”
NEORSD owns and operates three wastewater treatment plants and hundreds of miles of the sewer systems in Cleveland and surrounding areas such as Cuyahoga Heights. These treatment plants clean billions of gallons of wastewater every year, reducing pollution and improving water quality. NEORSD maintains this complex network and has the responsibility to build and service sewer systems in the service area. NEORSD measures hard surface areas on a property to determine stormwater charges. Since hard surfaces like rooftops and driveways don’t absorb stormwater, that water enters the storm drainage systems, increasing flow volumes and maintenance needs of this infrastructure.
Using Nearmap aerial photos, properties show up clearly by utilizing both current and historical imagery that shows temporal changes. Nearmap aerial imagery has been used in NEORSD’s Esri GIS platform to identify areas of concern, measure changes to roofs or driveways, and calculate accurate stormwater fees to bill the account holder. The platform helps to address customer inquiries and reduces the amount of staff time on stormwater billing data maintenance, which frees up these resources to support other stormwater maintenance activities.
“Change analysis is an important part of stormwater billing—changes happen all the time,” said Eric Baker, GIS application administrator at NEORSD. “Current and historical aerial imagery allows us to visualize these changes, including hard surfaces, new buildings, demolitions and the status of construction projects. This analysis leads to accurate stormwater billing.”
To learn more about this important application, please attend the 2017 Northeast Ohio GIS Symposium on Aug. 31 at The Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, where NEORSD and Nearmap will co-present. Eric Baker from NEORSD and Brett Clark from Nearmap will be presenting in Room 1, 26B, at this event.
About Nearmap
Nearmap brings the real world to you. We capture, manage and deliver the most current location content in the world, allowing businesses and governments to explore their environment easily. With Nearmap, organizations unlock opportunities that consistently inform decision-making and transform the way they work. Our high-resolution, frequently updated aerial imagery is 2.8-inch GSD, better than satellite imagery. Delivered within days of capture, Nearmap shows changes over time. Users save time and money, reduce site visits and efficiently plan with current, clear imagery.
Nearmap is delivered through a refreshingly easy-to-use interface called MapBrowser™ or accessed via Esri® and Autodesk products.
Free trials of Nearmap are available. For more information, visit http://go.nearmap.com.
About Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is responsible for wastewater treatment facilities and interceptor sewers in the greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area. This service area encompasses the City of Cleveland and all or portions of 61 suburban municipalities in Cuyahoga, Summit, Lake and Lorain Counties, and includes a diversified group of manufacturing and processing industries.
