The South Western Ontario Orthophotography Project, 2010 (SWOOP2010) is a high- resolution-imagery acquisition partnership involving over 70 organizations. The area covered by these photos spans over 45,000 sq km and stretches from Windsor to Niagara and up to the Bruce Peninsula.

SWOOP2010 demonstrates the value of having private and public sector organizations contribute to a single project to satisfy multiple business needs. Creating a partnership model that involves municipal, provincial and federal government organizations, along with Conservation Authorities, NGO’s and a large number of private sector firms has saved each organization over 80% of the required funding.

All imagery was acquired in April/May 2010 to ensure leaf-off, no-snow conditions. Production is well underway. The specifications that were used for this project demanded 20 cm pixel resolution with an accuracy of 50 cm (horizontal and vertical) in order to obtain highly accurate information that could be used for a variety of purposes. We anticipate that the project will be completed in the spring of 2011.

A secured stakeholder site has been created for the partners so that they can be informed of the progress. If you are a stakeholder and require access to that site please contact Mike Robertson using the information below. If you have any questions about the project please contact Mike Robertson via e-mail at mike.robertson@ontario.ca or by phone at (705) 755-1280.