There’s definitely a genealogical use for old aerial photography. A British company has a website that specializes in it. The following News Release was written by Bluesky Staff:
Leicestershire, UK, 07 April 2009 – Aerial survey specialist Bluesky has launched a new web service designed to help resolve boundary, rights of way, and other land related disputes in Britain.
Visitors to www.oldaerialphotos.com can now identify and acquire photographic evidence from the past to support their claim and in addition to the historical aerial photomaps a range professional services are also available including Letters of Authenticity, Statutory Declaration and even appearance in court by a professional photographic interpreter. With prices starting from as little as £20 the Old Aerial Photos Legal Service can save time and money, even helping to resolve disputes before they escalate.
“As the saying goes a `picture paints a thousand words’ and this is never truer than fully authenticated photograph,” commented James Eddy, Operations Director of Bluesky. “Offering irrefutable evidence an Old Aerial Photo is easily worth a thousand words and can potentially save thousands of pounds in legal fees and court appearances.”
Visitors to www.oldaerialphotos.com can search through the millions of aerial images dating back as far as the 1917 by simply entering a postcode, address or grid reference. Detailed search results, including the age and ground coverage, of every image that matches the search criteria are displayed and the visitor can choose to purchase either a hard copy print or digital image file.
The additional services offered by Bluesky as part of the Old Aerial Photos Legal Service include professional archive searches, where trained archivists will search for the most suitable image for you, letters of authenticity, including the exact date and time the photograph was captured and statutory declaration that the photograph is as described and fit for purpose. The Old Aerial Photographs Services Team can also provide a written interpretation of the image, an Affidavit (written evidence for use in court) or even personal courts appearances to provide expert opinion.
Images that are available to purchase from www.oldaerialphotos.com include some of the earliest commercial aerial survey images, military photography from World War II and many national archives, including oblique aerial photographs are also available. Offering a record of most major UK cities and towns, transport and utility infrastructure and commercial property developments, www.oldaerialphotos.com is an invaluable resource for anyone with a personal or professional interest in local studies, genealogy, boundary disputes, environmental land use research or town planning.
www.oldaerialphotos.com is a joint venture between aerial imaging, remote sensing data collection and processing specialist Bluesky, and air to ground oblique photography experts Skyscan.
Website: www.bluesky-world.com
