Salem’s street maps are getting a high-tech upgrade.
Over the next two weeks, Dutch mobile mapping company Cyclomedia will be driving the city’s streets, capturing detailed data on road conditions and features.
The company will capture 360-degree images of roads and use LiDar, or light detection and ranging, a pulsing laser technology that can measure variable distances, according to a city news release Tuesday.
Work will begin downtown.
“Cyclomedia vehicles are marked with their company logo and will not be accessing any private streets or property. Any license plates or public faces caught on the camera will be blurred to protect your privacy,” the city said in the release.
City officials signed a contract with Cyclomedia Aug. 18 for about $600,000 for the mapping and data processing work, said Trevor Smith, public works department spokesman.
The work is part of a city effort to upgrade its data on roads and other features using Geographic Information Systems software. Salem has about 872 miles of roadway to be mapped.
Once the data is collected, Cyclomedia will convert features like roadways, potholes, driveways, traffic lights and street signs into features in the software, allowing the public works department to better track the condition of roads and street features in Salem, according to a request for proposals from the city.
The work should be completed within six months, the request for proposals said.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
