In response to this emergency, AERO-METRIC's Vice President and Regional Manager of the Midwest and Mountain Regions, Marvin E. Miller, PLS, PPS, CP, and the newly installed President of MAPPS, is overseeing and coordinating the mobilization of multiple aircraft, sensors and personnel to the collapsed bridge site.

Miller began working with MNDOT less than an hour after the bridge collapsed at 6:05 pm CDT on Wednesday, August 1.  Within 24 hours after the collapse, AERO-METRIC had completed the capture of high resolution, color oblique aerial photographs from a helicopter with 360 degree views .

On Friday, August 3, 2007 using two of its 10 fixed wing aircraft, AERO-METRIC completed a vertical aerial photography mission, and an airborne LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mission over the, bridge site.  The possibility of collecting ground based LIDAR data is also being considered.

LIDAR is an optical remote sensing technology that measures the properties of scattered light to find the range and distance of a distant target using a laser pulse.  The range and distance to an object is determined by measuring the time delay between transmission of a pulse and detection of the reflected signal.  Airborne LIDAR can efficiently collect data of a large area when collected from a fixed-wing aircraft mount, while ground based or terrestrial LIDAR can collect data from close range on individual structures.

AERO-METRIC's Midwest Regional office is located in Maple Grove, MN, just 18 miles northwest of the collapsed I-35 bridge.  The firm has long been a professional geospatial services provider to MNDOT.

"While the work AERO-METRIC is doing is of extraordinary benefit to MNDOT and all the government agencies involved in search, rescue, response and investigation, the firm's ability to mobilize and provide highly professional services is something MAPPS member firms routinely do," said MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello. "For a number of years, MAPPS has advocated the establishment of pre-positioned emergency response contracts for professional geospatial services by government agencies.  This is a tragic episode, and our hearts and prayers go to the victims and their families and loved ones.  As in the past, this unfortunate event once again spotlights the important role the geospatial profession can play and we are proud of the work AERO-METRIC is doing here, just as many other MAPPS member firms have done in other emergency situations."

In 2006, at the urging of MAPPS, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered into an agreement by which USGS contractors are used in Federal emergency response (www.usgs.gov/mou/mouwithdhs.pdf). The MAPPS proposal for such contracts was also endorsed by the National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences in its recent report, Successful Response Starts with a Map: Improving Geospatial Support for Disaster Management.

For further information on the MAPPS emergency response model: see http://www.mapps.org/InsideMAPPSNews.asp?ARTICLE19659=19957&PG19659=2

"We have received numerous phone calls and emails inquiring as to the safety of the AERO-METRIC staff. I am happy to report that none of our staff or their family members was involved in this event. On behalf of myself and the Minneapolis AERO-METRIC team, I want to thank everyone for your concern and well wishes. In the meantime, I encourage each of you to keep those families who have been impacted by this horrific tragedy in your thoughts and prayers.  Over the coming days we may discover that there is less than six degrees of separation between knowing someone who was either injured or lost their life Wednesday evening," Miller said.  "Our efforts at this time are focused on promptly collecting accurate data to assist with any remaining recovery efforts and in helping to identify the cause of this tragedy so that steps can be taken to prevent a similar tragedy from ever occurring again anywhere in the United States or indeed in the world."

About MAPPS

Formed in 1982 and currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of the association, MAPPS has expanded in size and scope to become the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. The current MAPPS membership of more than 160 professional   and technical firms spans the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including Member Firms engaged in satellite and airborne remote sensing, surveying, photogrammetry, aerial photography, hydrography, charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes Associate Members, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the United States and other firms from around the world. MAPPS provides its members opportunities for networking and developing business-to-business relationships, information sharing, education, public policy advocacy, market growth, and professional development and image enhancement. For more information on MAPPS, please visit www.MAPPS.org.