Polk County hires new company for street-level property photos

Catch up fast: In 2022, Polk County Supervisors approved hiring Cyclomedia, a Dutch-based company that takes high-resolution street photos from its vehicles.

Yes, but: The interactive pics caused the website to slow to a crawl in initial attempts to publish them online.

• They finally debuted this week thanks to software and site upgrades, assessor Randy Ripperger tells Axios.

State of play: Going forward, Cyclomedia pictures will replace traditional still photos with a goal for new ones every two years when properties are reassessed, Ripperger tells Axios.

• A new round of photos, which provides assessors with more detailed images, is already in progress.

Zoom in: At least eight other Polk County cities, including Des Moines and West Des Moines, also use Cyclomedia.

• The data is useful in assessing and inventorying public works or safety projects like flood mitigation and transportation planning, according to the company.

The intrigue: Aerial photography and Cyclomedia images will be incorporated in the county's reassessment process as early as this fall, Ripperger said.

• The initial photos cost the county just over $500,000.