Once used mainly by government officials, multi-angle, low-flying image-taking is about to become available to everyone.

By Associated Press

ROCHESTER, New York (AP) -- Low-lying Cessna 172s fly in grid patterns over major cities, capturing eagle-eye images of every square foot (meter) from just about every direction.

Instead of just the straight-down views that distant satellites gather, the planes photograph America's varied landscape at a 40-degree angle from a few thousand feet in the air. The images are detailed enough to pick out fire hydrants in Chicago, lilac trees in Rochester and the levees of New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina.

The small company behind all this, Pictometry International Corp., has found plenty of business, notably in the realm of public safety.

Now, Pictometry is trying to make inroads with the general public.

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