City Web Site Features New Map-Based Application

GREENVILLE, SC – March 18, 2011 – The City of Greenville has launched a new interactive web application called Historic Aerial Photography Viewer, which allows users to view aerial photos and maps of the city of Greenville dating as far back as 1920. Users can search by street name and can view photos and maps from 1920, 1955, 1965, 1979, 1989, 1997 and 2009. The application was created by the City’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Division to illustrate land development within the city over time. The oldest available aerial photography dates back to 1955, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture began a program to help determine, measure and calculate the acreage of farm land.

The map images for 1920 are only of a limited area of downtown and originate from Sanborn Fire Insurance maps, which were drawn for fire protection planning purposes. These images were obtained from the University of South Carolina digital library and used by permission. Additional downtown map images will be added to the application as they become available.

The City originally obtained the aerial photographs from 1955, 1965, 1979 and 1989 for projects related to redevelopment of older areas within the city. As a result, some historic image sheets are missing for newer areas of the city. Additionally, image quality varies from year to year, as some of the photographs were taken at an altitude of 10,000 feet, while others were taken at an altitude of 20,000 feet. Aerial photography and maps for 1920, 1955, 1965, 1979 and 1989 were provided in multiple sections that had to be further processed by GIS staff for use in the application. The aerial photography for 1997 and 2009 was flown and processed specifically for use with computer mapping applications.
The Historic Aerial Photography Viewer is located at http://gis.greenvillesc.gov/historicalimagery/.