Wonder what your neighborhood looked like 60 years ago? Want to see Westchester before the Tappan Zee Bridge, early farmlands in the northern sections of the county, or before the redevelopment of White Plains? Check out the historical aerial photos recently added to Westchester County’s Web site.
The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) division of the county’s Department of Information Technology recently added post-World War II aerial black and white photography to its online Mapping Westchester County application. Using the “timeline slider” in the upper right-hand corner of the viewing window, users can now see any location in the county with the help of 1947 aerial photography.
The Mapping Westchester County application can be found at the GIS Internet Web site.
Between 1926 and 2000, the county contracted with aerial photography vendors to update the photography on an approximate “every five years” schedule. Using new digital and mapping technologies, GIS staff has been scanning these hard copy photos and aligning the new digital images to better match current day maps and ground features. Since 2000, the countywide aerial photography has been captured digitally resulting in more frequent updates as part of collaborative efforts with state and federal agencies.
The 1947 photography was chosen for conversion due to the high quality of the imagery – reflecting the advancements in aerial photography that were developed during WWII. Aerial photographs from 1976, 2004, 2007 and 2009 have also been put in the application. Photos from 1960 and 1925 will eventually be published as well – although the clarity and resolution from the 1925/26 campaign is expected to be limited in online format.
The images have been used over the years by planners, land use professionals and the general public for a wide range of purposes including the monitoring of changes in land use associated with suburban sprawl, analyses of sites for development or preservation, and the study of environmental conditions such as drainage patterns and the presence of steep slopes and wetlands.