Cuyahoga County Cars With Cameras Will Photograph Every Property This Fall

Drivers in Mayfield Heights and across Cuyahoga County may soon notice small vehicles topped with cameras rolling through their neighborhoods. The vehicles belong to Cyclomedia Technologies, a contractor hired by the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office to photograph the exterior of every property and parcel in the county. The project is expected to run for six to ten weeks, according to information shared by the Mayfield Heights Police Department. County officials say the effort is part of an ongoing push to keep property records current and accurate. What the Cyclomedia Vehicles Are Doing The Cyclomedia vehicles capture high resolution, 360 degree street level imagery along with mobile LiDAR data, according to a report from News 5 Cleveland. Images are taken from public streets, and the county says any driveways photographed will be limited. Faces and license plates that appear in the images will be blurred to protect privacy, similar to how Google Street View operates. Bill Wetzel, an account executive for Cyclomedia's Midwest region, described the work to News 5 Cleveland: "This is one of our vehicles that's going to be capturing 360-degree street-level imagery and mobile LiDAR for Cuyahoga County." news5cleveland Officials say the goal is to make the county's property valuation process more efficient. The images will help document the condition of properties, streets and roads, and will become part of the official property record used by the Fiscal Office. How the Data Will Be Used Tom Fisher, the county's Geographic Information Systems administrator, told News 5 Cleveland that the imagery gives appraisers another tool to evaluate homes without an in person visit. In the past, county staff often had to travel to a property to inspect and photograph it. Now much of that review can happen remotely using the Cyclomedia images. County officials also expect the imagery to help when residents call with questions about their property valuations. Appraisal staff will be able to pull up the street level images to review a property's condition during those calls. Spotting a Cyclomedia Vehicle Residents who see one of the vehicles do not need to take any action. All Cyclomedia vehicles working on this project will be clearly marked with Cyclomedia logos. Contractors in the field will also carry photo identification along with a letter of authorization from Cuyahoga County. Anyone with questions about the project can contact their local police department or the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office directly.