By Eileen Conrad

A pictorial odyssey that spans 65 major metropolitan areas in the United States at the turn of the 21st century has been donated to UCSB by Pacific Western Aerial Surveys of Santa Barbara.

Valued at more than $14.3 million, the Citipix Collection of 370,000 aerial images is unparalleled in its size, focus, and resolution, said Larry Carver, director of the Map and Imagery Laboratory (MIL) in UCSB’s Davidson Library, where the collection will be housed. No comparable collection of aerial photography exists for this time period.

The color-stereo images in the archive were taken by Hauts-Monts, Inc. between 1999-2002, beginning two years prior to 9/11. The collection consists of original film negatives.

“This is a historic snapshot of the urban history of the United States at the turn of the century that includes major ports of entry, research areas, and coastal services that I have never seen done before at this resolution with aerial photography,” said Carver, who had been tracking the collection for several years. “The Citipix Collection will be an invaluable resource for researchers and urban planners, as well as for the public sector. It is a significant addition to the Map and Imagery Library’s extensive collections of historic aircraft and satellite imagery.”

Because aerial photographs are shot straight down, they are extremely accurate. As a landscape is altered over time, mosaics of such photographs become a valuable resource for biologists, historians, archaeologists, land use planners, engineers, geologists tracing earthquake faults, attorneys settling property disputes, agencies monitoring pollution, and public health officials tracking disease vectors.

University librarian Brenda Johnson said this latest addition will enhance the distinction of UCSB’s imagery collection, already one of the most extensive in the U.S. academic community. “We are thrilled that the owners of Pacific Western Aerial Surveys, Michael Kambitsch and his wife, Susan Lord, so generously donated this irreplaceable collection. We anticipate heavy use of these images by faculty, corporations, and government agencies.”