Kentucky is 1st in the nation to photograph entire state from all angles

FRANKFORT, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — Kentuckians can have a better understanding of the state from the sky than any other state in the country thanks to a unique mapping program that just hit a major milestone.

“Not only would you have the top-down view, but we’ve got the view from four different sides and we’re putting it out there so everybody can get to it. Not just government agencies, but citizens, private sector, anybody,” geographic information officer Kent Anness of Kentucky’s Office of Architecture & Governance told FOX 56.

LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS

• Powell County corrections officer charged after internal investigation
• Bull rescued by Somerset emergency crews after early morning swim
• Blue Grass Community Foundation gifts money to nonprofits, empowering Fayette County families

Kentucky is the first state in the nation to do it. Photograph the entire state for a free, publicly accessible mapping tool of the entire Commonwealth. The KyFromAbove p rogram not only covers the view from up top but now from each angle: north, south, east, and west.

“We figured it would probably take three years. But Mother Nature was cooperative. They had a large fleet of planes,” Anness said.

Anness said the money for the project came down in the 2022 budget. A contractor was hired to fly 2,600 flight lines over the state, traveling 117,000 miles and capturing 40,660 square miles worth of images of the land below. As Anness explained, they could only fly in certain conditions, like when the trees were leaf-free, which left a narrow window to work.

“So in two flying seasons, this was completed, which for anybody in the industry, that’s a shocker in itself,” Anness said.

ALL ABOUT KENTUCKY

• These 2 Kentucky car events are winning national attention
• These cars and trucks are thieves’ biggest targets in Kentucky, data shows
• 2024’s top barbecue spot in Kentucky, according to Yelp

Anness explained that normally this type of imagery, known as oblique aerial photography, would only be available in large cities and not always for free. And it’s a bit different than what can be found on something like Google Earth, which provides just a single angle by satellite.

Because it’s publicly accessible, the mapping tool can be used for more than just government work, like emergency response. It has even tools to estimate a variety of real-life measurements

“Design and plan work for infrastructure projects, transportation, broadband, things like that. Water and sewer. Wildlife management,” Anness said of the possibilities.

More than 50 counties are now visible to explore online, with more to come as the data is processed. The mapping tool can be explored on the KyFromAbove website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 56 News.