Westminster, CO - April 7, 2005 - The Madison County Auditor's Office has selected Hitachi Software and the HouseDiff service to improve the accuracy of its tax data by conducting building change detection on the county's aerial imagery. The automatic change detection project will be completed on the county's newly acquired ortho-photography in late spring 2005.

Using its ability to generate building data from aerial vantage points, HouseDiff is able to detect additions to the back of buildings and outlying buildings that may not be visible from publicly accessible areas. This advantage will allow the Madison County Auditor's Office to better enforce building permit regulations and collect tax revenue from previously unreported building improvements.

Madison County's field inspection teams will also know which buildings are new or have changed since the last data collection period. Inspectors will be able to focus more time investigating identified changes and less time verifying buildings that have not changed.

Previous HouseDiff projects have resulted in improved accuracy of building data sets and increased county tax revenue through recognition of previously untaxed or undertaxed properties.

Named after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, Madison County is located in central Ohio between Columbus and Springfield.

About Hitachi Software Global Technology
Hitachi Software Global Technology (HSGT) is a leading software, data, and solution provider for companies seeking to maximize their potential through spatial information. HSGT solutions combine Open GIS Consortium standards, imagery and vector data products, and award-winning automatic vectorization software. Headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, HSGT continues to pioneer new technologies and services for utilities, telecommunications companies, and governments. For more information visit www.hsgt.com.

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