New York State Office for Technology World Trade Center Geospatial Data

This series consists of digital aerial photographs, thermal imagery, flyover simulations, and raw Geographic Information System data documenting conditions at the World Trade Center site immediately after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This data was created by EarthData, a mapping services firm working under contract to the State Office for Technology, and was relayed to federal, state, and local government emergency personnel working at the World Trade Center site.

Over 4,000 of the files in this series consist of large (4096x4096 pixel) black-and-white aerial photographs of the World Trade Center site and lower Manhattan taken between 15 September-22 October 2001. These images document the magnitude of the destruction at the World Trade Center site and the progress of firefighting and debris removal work in the weeks following the attack. They also depict post-attack vehicle restrictions in lower Manhattan and nearby landmarks such as City Hall, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Battery Park.

Also included are two video simulations depicting the terrain of the World Trade Center site as it existed in late September 2001, paper and electronic copies of EarthData's final project report, and electronic copies of Geographic Information System data documenting conditions at the site.

Aerial thermal images in this series document the location of fires and hot spots at the World Trade Center sites in late September through mid-October 2001; most of these images are black-and-white, but a few color images are present. Thermal video data gathered from 16 September-16 October 2001 is housed on twenty-seven VHS videocassettes.

Scanned images of selected aerial photographs and thermal images are available at the New York State Archives.

B2320Series B2320, Office for Technology, World Trade Center Site Maps, 2001, contains printed copies of some maps that EarthData produced after it gathered and processed the data that comprises this series.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.