CHENANGO COUNTY – Enhanced aerial imaging in Chenango County is a no-go, thanks to contract disputes between county officials and Pictometry International Corp.

According to Chenango County Attorney Alan Gordon, county leaders were unable to reach a contract agreement with Pictometry International Corp., a private company that provides services specializing in oblique aerial imaging.

Last month, a resolution passed the Chenango County Board of Supervisors in a 20-3 vote in favor of negotiating a contract with Pictometry. The company's services were made possible via a $74,000 grant offered to the Chenango County Sheriff's Office by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services to improve public safety.

Similar to the popular software program Google Earth, Pictometry provides a database of overhead photographs taken from all four corners of the county. But unlike Google Earth, Pictometry also allows users to see high resolution angle shots of properties and provides rough dimensions of structures including height and width – features that law enforcement and first responders said would make their agencies safer and more efficient.