Merrick Retained by Great Falls, MT for Multi-Sensor Data Collection

Aurora, CO – July 7, 2009 - Merrick & Company ( www.merrick.com) has been retained by the City of Great Falls, Montana to provide geospatial mapping services. The collected data will provide the basis for the development of new topographic maps for the entire 83 square mile area. Previously, the city’s topographic information was based upon older ground surveying methods and this acquisition of new information will provide the city with detailed information to assist them with their needs.

The data will be collected simultaneously by a fixed-wing aircraft carrying two remote sensing technologies on-board. An ALS-50 Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor will be utilized to collect elevation data at a one-meter spacing and the Digital Airborne Camera System (DACS) will be used to collect color imagery at a 0.5’ pixel resolution. Both the laser data and imagery will be used to develop new topographic maps with a two-foot contour interval and natural color digital orthophotography at a resolution of 0.5’.

Merrick & Company, an $85 million geospatial mapping, engineering, architecture, design-build, and surveying firm, serves domestic and international clients in the government, energy, life sciences, infrastructure, and mapping markets. With a focus on the highly technical field of geospatial surveying and remote sensing, the firm’s most recent work includes providing mapping services for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Cook County, IL; Xcel Energy; and the U.S. Air Force Space Command.