Over the weekend, the low-flying, scary sounding "Shrike Commander" plane was busy collecting images for what will be the most detailed map of New York City ever. The images are collected by a sonar-like laser system, which shoots out laser pulses from the aircraft and measures how long it takes for the pulses to return. The data will be compiled into a comprehensive map and used to assess everything from flood prone areas to neighborhoods in need of more trees. They couldn't just use GoogleMaps?
The $450,000 project is part of PlaNYC, Bloomberg's project to create a greener city by 2030. The city's current flood maps are from the 1980s, and are not as accurate as they should be. The new maps would also show wetland density and how many flat roofs there are in the city—which could be fitted with solar panels. CUNY Director of sustainability Tria Case told the Times, "The purpose is to try to give people the tools they need to understand how to adapt solar technology." The map should be ready for use by the end of the year.
