Government officials in Norway turned to geographic information system (GIS) software to process, manage, and share its vast archive of aerial imagery. GIS enables officials to respond faster to a crisis in a more precise way and at a larger scale because leaders have a better understanding of landscapes and they can track potential issues faster. This digitization process was a massive undertaking. More than 4,000 projects were accessed, with work happening across 12 agencies. This required the Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA)—known in Norway as Kartverket––to collaborate with partners to organize and provide easy access to its vast archive of aerial imagery. This national imagery resource dates back to 1935.
To get started, the Norwegian Mapping Authority collaborated with Esri partner Geodata AS in Norway. They provide experts in analyzing, presenting, and visualizing data in digital maps. As GIS experts, Geodata AS is the official Norwegian distributor of Esri technology, with most of their solutions built with ArcGIS software. Geodata AS and NMA created a portal called Norge i bilder, or “Norway in Pictures,” to manage, store, and share the aerial imagery.
“With Norge i bilder, Geodata AS plays a significant part in managing a cultural treasure—a visual record of what our country looks like today, and how it looked in the past,” explained Toni Mikkola, account manager at Geodata AS. “The project has challenged us in the best possible way, and thanks to strong collaboration with [the] Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), and the Norwegian Mapping Authority, Norge i bilder today stands as a solid, well-run, and valuable digital cultural asset.”