Transforming operations using reliable aerial data
Jul 2025
Oklahoma County relies on accurate geospatial information to manage disaster response and monitor economic developments across the community.
Jul 2025
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Oklahoma County in the U.S., home to over 800,000 residents, was challenged by outdated and inconsistent aerial data. Tasked with serving a growing community, the county relies on accurate, timely geospatial information to effectively execute vital functions — be that disaster response or monitoring economic developments across the community. However, outdated aerial imagery and fragmented processes put a strain on their operations, leaving departments with delays and workflow inefficiencies. But everything changed when Oklahoma County found Nearmap at the 2017 Esri User Conference.
Operational bottlenecks
Inconsistent aerial imagery made timely decision-making across key operations difficult. Collaborations with neighbouring jurisdictions, aimed at pooling resources to purchase new imagery, often led to delays of a year or more. Even when Oklahoma County was able to secure new captures, the image quality and resolution varied significantly — creating issues for consistent analysis.
- Outdated assets: County imagery was often outdated before it could be analysed, limiting opportunities to use location intelligence proactively.
- Fragmented needs: Stakeholders across jurisdictions wanted different types of imagery. Some counties wanted sub-7 cm resolution imagery, while others preferred planimetrics. Trying to meet all these needs resulted in less-than-ideal mosaics.
Tim Conner, GIS Director for Oklahoma County, described the process as “convoluted,” with no clarity about whether changes on the ground had occurred in the last year or even earlier. These hurdles slowed responses to natural disasters, increased manual workloads, and strained county resources.
For example, when an F3 tornado struck Oklahoma County in 2024, departments were scrambling to respond to an event that caused $43M USD in damages. Without access to aerial data, responses would have been delayed, and prioritisation would have been guesswork as teams could not know the most affected areas.
Frequently updated, high-resolution aerial data
Oklahoma County came across Nearmap at the 2017 Esri User Conference while searching for a reliable solution to address its geospatial challenges. Implementing Nearmap into the Assessor’s office brought consistency in imagery needs, clarity in data, and precision to county workflows through a suite of features and tools that reduced the need for manual data collection and on-site visits for 70% of the county.
Now Oklahoma County has access to:
- High-resolution imagery: Sub 7 cm resolution imagery that’s proactively updated multiple times annually provides county departments with accurate aerial information.
- Comprehensive coverage: Leaf-on and leaf-off captures ensure
syear-round visibility of both urban and rural areas, critical for disaster management. - Cross-department accessibility: A single source of truth enables unified access to the same geospatial data across county departments like emergency management, public works, and transit teams.
“When we found Nearmap, we were looking for a way of ease and reliability to get our aerials.”
Tim Conner, GIS Director, Oklahoma County)
Effective, data-driven operations
The implementation of Nearmap delivered transformational results across the county. Oklahoma County uses aerial data to integrate impactful solutions that empower its departments to work smarter, not harder.
- Faster disaster response: Following a tornado last November, post-catastrophe imagery helped disaster response teams quickly identify damage zones and deploy resources within days instead of weeks.
- Adoption across departments: Nearmap data became indispensable for assessment, GIS, public works, and transit teams. The use cases are many — from pothole detection to road planning — and the efficiency gains help teams better service the county.
The partnership between Oklahoma County and Nearmap illustrates how innovative geospatial technology can drive progress across various city government workflows. As Tim put it, “without Nearmap, nothing would be possible,” regarding the county’s success. Tim plans to further the use of Nearmap within Oklahoma County as he transitions into the GIS department, where he will focus on county-wide GIS initiatives.
“Nearmap is such a great tool that it spread like wildfire to other offices.”
Tim Conner, GIS Director, Oklahoma CountyGet started today
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