Southfield's stormwater challenges, solved
How Nearmap property intelligence helped OHM Advisors guide the City of Southfield, Michigan to effectively manage stormwater utilities.
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Making decisions remotely
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Improving data accuracy
Modernising fee assessments
The challenge
Managing stormwater without the right data
The City of Southfield, a client of OHM Advisors, needed to better manage stormwater across a dense urban environment, where impervious surfaces like asphalt and concrete increase runoff and strain infrastructure.
As the city explored a new stormwater fee model, several challenges emerged.
Challenges included:
- Inadequate funding: Financial limitations impacted the city’s ability to maintain or upgrade its stormwater infrastructure.
- Reliance on outdated data: The city was relying on years-old aerial imagery, leading to inefficient resource allocation and hamstrung development efforts.
- High data costs: Updating aerial data traditionally required Southfield to contract one-time flyovers, which can be costly – with flights up to USD 80–100k.
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“We had aerials from 2020 provided by the county and some from 2023 online, but there was nothing in between or anything more recent.”
— Steve Gogola, GIS Coordinator, City of Southfield
The solution
Accurate mapping, at scale
OHM introduced Southfield to Nearmap’s property intelligence, including high-resolution imagery – captured up to 3x year – geospatial data, and AI feature layers.
This enabled the city to proactively map surfaces and view and verify stormwater utilities – at scale and with a high degree of accuracy. Helping Southfield to assess fees using near-real-time data.
Benefits included:
- Strategic decision-making: Using Nearmap marked a pivotal shift towards high-tech urban planning, enhancing precision and efficiency.
- Planning efficiency: City planners could now complete tasks remotely, allowing them to focus more on critical stormwater management, with less time in the field.
- Enhanced geospatial services: OHM used Nearmap aerial imagery and AI feature layers to chart Southfield’s impervious surfaces, modernising fee assessments with accurate and data-driven insights.
- Technical ingenuity: Nearmap seamlessly integrated into Southfield’s existing GIS systems, replacing their outdated insights with current aerial intelligence.
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The impact
Surfacing the right insights
OHM used Nearmap’s current aerial imagery, geospatial data and AI insights to identify every impervious surface with increased accuracy.
Now, Southfield can:
- Accurately assess stormwater fees: Nearmap’s property intelligence unlocked Southfield’s ability to establish a precise, data-backed fee structure and increase its stormwater infrastructure funding.
- Reduce costs: Improved data quality supported by cost-effective property intelligence.
- Enhance urban planning: Decision-making can now happen offsite with access to Nearmap, allowing Southfield to optimise its urban planning.
- Maintain consistent data: Using Nearmap helped Southfield resolve its data discrepancies, ensuring reliable insights for future planning.
Southfield and OHM partnered with Nearmap to enhance their infrastructure. And transformed the City’s approach to stormwater management to enable a new era of data-driven decision-making.
City-wide progress begins with property intellligence
Nearmap is a proven partner for cities seeking sustainable solutions to enhance their infrastructure.
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About OHM Advisors
Since 1962, OHM Advisors has partnered with government leaders, school districts, developers, universities, and private companies to advance communities.
As the community advancement firm, its more than 700 multidisciplinary experts deliver award-winning work across the architecture, engineering, planning, urban design, landscape architecture, surveying, and construction engineering spheres.
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About City of Southfield
Southfield, MI is at the forefront of urban development, with over 10,000 businesses and a vibrant, diverse population. Known for its robust economy and thriving commercial centers, Southfield exemplifies modern urban living and innovation.