GlobeSt.com: How can commercial real estate professionals benefit from Pictometry's images?

Pennacchia: They can benefit in the same ways our users in government and other commercial industries do: with the ability to work more efficiently, intuitively and with greater speed and effectiveness than ever before--all from the convenience of a computer desktop and with the speed of the Internet. For real estate professionals in particular, Pictometry also gives them the ability to expand their scope of vision to include full details of properties located across the country, eliminating the need for travel, as well as the ability to share compelling visual information with potential buyers.

GlobeSt.com: Has the real estate sector been a key target for Pictometry?

Pennacchia: We marketed Pictometry Intelligent Images primarily to county, state and federal government users. But they've become a primary tool for property assessment and GIS professionals and remain a looked-to resource for 9-1-1 professionals across the country. From our presence in these areas, we've earned the reputation as the provider of "professional grade" working images, not just pretty pictures. As a result, commercial industries of all kinds, from insurance to utilities to web-based businesses and real estate, are turning to Pictometry in new ways every day.

GlobeSt.com: How do the images you offer differ from other aerial photography applications, including Google Earth?

Pennacchia: Pictometry oblique images are different in that they are captured at an angle as opposed to traditional orthogonal images, which are taken directly overhead. This enables users to see around a property or location. Pictometry images are also high resolution and geo-referenced, which enable users to see full detail of a property and have the ability to measure distance, height, elevation pitch and more--directly on imagery. All of these attributes align Pictometry to provide meaningful return on investment for users, making it possible for them to work better, faster and smarter.

GlobeSt.com: Pictometry has partnership arrangements with a number of companies. What real estate related organizations or firms are among them?

Pennacchia: Pictometry has the potential to make better solutions possible in countless industries. For this reason, we partner with an elite list of partners ranging from our international licensees to industry leaders like ESRI and First American and small entrepreneurial companies. Relative to the real estate industry, we are extremely excited about a project that has been spearheaded by CGI Communications of Rochester which uses Pictometry imagery. Essentially, the project they've designed targets residential real estate professionals across the country. LocalScope is a Neighborhood Navigator, combining Pictometry's imagery with layers of community information videos, real estate listings and local highlights, such as schools, libraries and parks. All these tools are combined into an agent-branded interface that individual Realtors can send out to prospective homebuyers and sellers. The unique nature of the tools ensures that it will be forwarded on to friends and family, thus expanding virally.

GlobeSt.com: How do you keep images up to date?

Pennacchia: Pictometry has more than 50 systems flying constantly in the US. Our scalability and our efficiency is enough to update all our images regularly.

GlobeSt.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Pennacchia: In summary, Pictometry's two key attributes translate into numerous benefits for users. The first is Pictometry's ability to provide users with imagery of a location or property with 3D like clarity and from all angles [north, south, east, west and overhead]. This is possible thanks to Pictometry's patented oblique image capture process, which captures imagery at an angle as opposed to a traditional orthogonal image capture. The second attribute of Pictometry is a patented measuring capability, which enables users to measure distance, height, elevation, pitch and more--directly on imagery. For commercial real estate professionals, these attributes mean they can literally see around a property, view surrounding locations and get a better understanding for a property in relation to its location within a neighborhood or city. Furthermore, realtors can use Pictometry to measure lot sizes, square footage, distance from other locations in a surrounding area, and even measure the landscaping.