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City staff describe planned GIS and aerial photography update, estimate $50K–$60K cost
Summary
Public Works and a licensed surveyor told the council the city intends to buy updated orthophotography and associated GIS updates to improve property-line visibility and planning; staff estimated a typical cost of $50,000–$60,000 for the flight and mapping.
City staff reviewed a proposed purchase of updated aerial photography and GIS data at the Tuesday work session, describing why the imagery matters for property-line orientation and local planning.
A licensed surveyor on staff or contracted to the city explained the product is an orthophoto — a single, melded photographic image optimized for North Bend rather than the stereo pairs used for detailed engineering topography. "I can show you where your property line is, give or take 2 feet," the surveyor said, noting the photo can be matched to the city’s lot-line mapping.
Staff explained municipalities typically update aerial imagery every seven to 10 years; North Bend’s last targeted flight was referenced as 2017. The surveyor said modern methods (LIDAR, drones) can add precision but that digitizing and integrating imagery into GIS remains time-consuming.
Cost estimates discussed in the meeting put the flight and mapping work in the neighborhood of $50,000–$60,000. The product is intended for public-facing use by homeowners and for staff planning tasks rather than to replace licensed survey work for legal boundary determinations.
No formal purchase was approved at the work session; the item was reviewed ahead of the council meeting agenda.
