A low flying plane equipped with light detection and ranging laser technology has recently made several late night passes over New York City in an effort to create the most detailed map of the city in history. The map is part of Mayor Bloomberg's environmental agenda, PlaNYC and will be used to locate areas that are most prone to coastal flooding, an increasing risk as sea levels rise. In addition, the map will be used to identify buildings best suited for solar photovoltaic panels and neighborhoods in desperate need of trees. The new map will replace the current flood-plain map which was created in the 1980's and is severely outdated.
The new map will be instrumental in assessing New York City's potential for solar power and will allow for New Yorkers to access solar data for the buildings in which they live and work.
See the New York Times article "With Lasers and Flyovers, a Solar Map of New York" at
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/nyregion/10mapping.html for more information.
For more information about PlaNYC visit
http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/home/home.shtml.
