City of Toronto recieves GITA 2007 Innovator Award

Enterprise Stereoscopic Model (ESM) Web, the City of Toronto’s newest aerial image viewing website, has won the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) Innovator Award; presented to Bob Gaspirc of Survey & Mapping Services at the GITA Annual Conference 30 in San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A., March 4-7, 2007.

The international awards competition recognizes the user organizations that have pushed the envelope of geospatial technology through the innovative development of a unique technology, service, or application to produce a new benefit stream for geospatial technology users.

“ESM Web has placed the entire topographic city, both current and past, into the hands of City staff enabling them to make business decisions that are based on reliable land information without ever leaving their desk. The GITA Innovator Award is a testament to ESM Web’s successes, and recognizes the intellectual curiosity and critical thinking required by Survey and Mapping Services staff to provide world-class products and services to our business units,” Bob Gaspirc, Manager Mapping Services, City of Toronto.

ESM Web has also been the recipient of the Urban & Regional Information Systems Association – Ontario Chapter (URISA-OC) Gold Award for Innovation in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and third runner-up in the Geospatial Solutions 2006 Applications Contest.

ESM Web was developed to provide average and technical users of mapping information with highly accurate aerial photography (current and historical) and the ability to collect site/object specific information in 3D.

ESM Web has up to 15 cm accuracy, and enables the viewing and measurement of objects in 3D while viewing the images with a pair of 3D glasses or stereoscope. Historical land information is more accurate and reliable as users can take their own 3D measurements from the fully geo-referenced images dating back to 1931. They can also search and overlay maps from today’s buildings, roads and properties over the historical images to visualize trends and land use changes between years.

To learn more about ESM Web, please email esmweb@toronto.ca. A movie showing what ESM Web can do is available on our website at www.toronto.ca/mapping/achievements.htm.