Comparison of standard RBG orthophotography (left) and thermographic imagery (center), which shows areas of water infiltration. Those areas are indicated on the sketch (right). Innovative Strategy for Facility Upgrading Hill AFB uses ArcGIS to manage thermal IR imagery H ow do you check the soundness of the roofs and utility system for 1,300 buildings—spread over more than 10 miles—in a compre- hensive and cost-effective manner? Hill Air Force Base (AFB) used ArcGIS and thermal infrared radiation (IR) imagery to identify failing roofing and utilities. The base, part of the Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), is located in northern Utah near the city of Ogden. Many operational and support missions are located here, including maintenance of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the C-130 Hercules aircraft. The main base covers 10.2 square miles, and its buildings are used for aircraft maintenance and upgrades as well as technical and training facilities for flight staff on the base. This critical infrastructure houses personnel as well as assets and services worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Many of the buildings on the base date back to the 1940s. As the result of normal wear and tear, this infra- structure, which includes a maturing utility system, was deteriorating. Little reliable data had been kept on the condition of these facilities. Failing roofs were often discovered by the personnel directly affected by a leak or when the damage was extensive enough that it could be seen. Limited facilities information made identifying By Karen Richardson 64 2012 Vol. 2 No. 1 and fixing these issues expensive and time-consuming. Historically, Hill AFB personnel inspected roofs, but the manpower and money required to conduct physical building-by-building roof inspections have made this impractical. Alternatively, the price tag for replacing all the roofs was prohibitive. Discovering Roof Failure To find a solution that would help them work more intelligently and efficiently, Hill AFB personnel turned to ArcGIS. Most air bases are standardized on Esri GIS technology. Hill AFB, a longtime user, had a site license for ArcGIS that allows use of the software throughout the base for everything from topo- graphic mapping to flight charting. continued on page 62