TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Matt Loesch
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: July 20, 2026
Approved
Date:
7/29/26
COUNCIL DISTRICT: Citywide
SUBJECT: Fourth Amendment to the Agreement between the City of San José and the County of Santa Clara for Imagery and LiDAR Data Acquisition
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager, or her designee, to:
(a) Negotiate and execute the Fourth Amendment to the Agreement with the County of Santa Clara, extending the cost-sharing arrangement in the amount of $127,916.47 for imagery and LiDAR data acquisition to cover the 2026 capture; and
(b) Negotiate and execute up to three additional amendments to cover imagery and LiDAR data acquisition annually for 2027-2029, ending on or about June 30, 2030, subject to the appropriation of funds.
SUMMARY AND OUTCOME
If approved, the City of San José (City) will be able to acquire aerial imagery (ortho and oblique), LiDAR data, and LiDAR-derived datasets through the County of Santa Clara for the flight years of 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029, subject to the appropriation of funds.
BACKGROUND
The City operates a technically sophisticated, state-of-the-art, Enterprise Geographic Information System that provides spatial data and applications to City staff, other public agencies, and the public to facilitate informed decision-making. Aerial imagery and COUNCIL AGENDA: 8/11/26
FILE: 26-827
ITEM: 2.19
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 20, 2026
Subject: Fourth Amendment to the Agreement between the City of San José and the County of Santa Clara for Imagery and LiDAR Data Acquisition
LiDAR-derived products are among the most important and heavily used datasets in the City’s Enterprise Geographic Information System, supplying the geographic base for hundreds of internal and public-facing web maps and dozens of business systems.
Since 2021, the City has acquired updated aerial imagery and LiDAR through its partnership with the County of Santa Clara. This collaborative arrangement provides a unique opportunity for the City to acquire a large amount of critical data at a fraction of the cost of independently acquiring it. With ongoing changes to the natural and built environments, refreshing the imagery annually and LiDAR every three years provides a necessary level of currency and accuracy.
Sanborn Map Company and Eagle View Technologies were selected through a competitive bid process conducted by the County of Santa Clara for the second of two five-year imagery and LiDAR data acquisition contracts, which includes five annual data captures from 2025 to 2029.
The 2026 data capture constitutes Year 7 of the County’s overall project and will deliver the following datasets for citywide use:
• Countywide ortho-imagery captured at 3-inch resolution in urban areas, including San José City limits and western Santa Clara County, and 6-inch resolution in rural areas, primarily the eastern portion of Santa Clara County. • Oblique (angular) imagery captured from four directions at 3-inch resolution in urban areas, including San José City limits and western Santa Clara County, and 6-inch resolution in rural areas, primarily the eastern portion of Santa Clara County, accessed through a hosted Software-as-a-Service platform. • LiDAR point cloud aligning with USGS Quality Level 1 accuracy requirements. • LiDAR derived products, including digital elevation model, digital surface model, 2D and 3D building footprints.
2027 and 2028 data captures (Years 8 and 9) will include ortho and oblique imagery deliverables only. 2029 data capture (Year 10) will include both imagery and LiDAR deliverables consistent with 2026 (Year 7).
ANALYSIS
Aerial imagery, LiDAR, and derived datasets are among the most valued and widely used datasets in the City’s Enterprise Geographic Information System, and the need for up-to-date imagery extends across business areas. The following are examples of the broad reliance of many City departments on current aerial imagery, LiDAR, and derived datasets:
• The City maintains a geospatial data catalog with over 1,000 map layers.
Maintenance workflows for many of these layers depend on current aerial imagery.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 20, 2026
Subject: Fourth Amendment to the Agreement between the City of San José and the County of Santa Clara for Imagery and LiDAR Data Acquisition
• The City publishes hundreds of web maps for both internal and public use. Most of these web maps include current and historic imagery base maps. • The Fire and Police Departments rely on current imagery to provide visual context in dispatch/ incident management systems, supporting the location of calls and planning of response.
• Multiple departments supporting the City’s efforts to manage and end homelessness (Housing, Environmental Services, Beautify SJ) utilize current and past imagery to assess encampment locations, cleanup efforts, and changes over time, particularly surrounding waterways. These teams have requested frequent refresh of the imagery to support their operations. • Development Services’ permitting system relies on imagery to view property information and assess conditions. Current and historical imagery provide additional value for change detection and monitoring development progress. • The Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department relies upon current and historical imagery and LiDAR-derived building footprints for zoning and policy research and site suitability analysis.
• The Transportation Department relies on current, high-resolution imagery for asset management and LiDAR data for tree canopy management. • The Public Works Department relies heavily on aerial imagery to manage base map data, storm water and sanitary networks as well as to support hydrologic modeling and development and construction activities. Utility locators use imagery in their 811 system and on mobile devices in the field to assist with accurate utility marking.
• The City Attorney’s Office uses current and historical imagery for evidentiary purposes.
• The City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management relies upon current aerial imagery to support situational awareness in the Emergency Operations Center, and damage assessment workflows rely on up-to-date LiDAR-derived building footprints. Maintaining regular and recurring image capture (pre-incident) is also critical for recovery efforts in the event of a disaster, and this contract amendment also provides an avenue for post-disaster image capture following a large-scale incident.
• Airport relies on imagery covering a five-mile radius around the airport property and extending outside of San José for planning and operational purposes so is well-served by the countywide extent available through this partnership. The Regional Wastewater Facility has similar requirements for imagery extending San José City limits.
The recommended action will provide the City with needed refresh of highly valued imagery, LiDAR, and LiDAR-derived datasets that are utilized in numerous business systems and support critical business functions across departments. Through participation in the County’s collaborative project, the City can acquire this data at less than 15 percent of the cost of acquiring it independently.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 20, 2026
Subject: Fourth Amendment to the Agreement between the City of San José and the County of Santa Clara for Imagery and LiDAR Data Acquisition
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
No additional follow-up action with the City Council is expected at this time.
FISCAL IMPACTS
Previously, the City had executed a contract and three subsequent amendments with the County of Santa Clara to participate in years two to five of the project. The original agreement for 2021 imagery, executed March 9, 2021, was in the amount of $72,621.83. The first amendment for 2022 imagery, executed June 15, 2022, was in the amount of $71,692.15. The second amendment for 2023 imagery and LiDAR, executed October 17, 2023, was in the amount of $193,207.47. The third amendment for 2024 imagery, executed January 14, 2025, was in the amount of $71,035.48. The current recommended action for the fourth amendment covering 2026 imagery and LiDAR is in the amount of $127,916.47, for a total contract value, inclusive of the recommended action, of $536,473.40. Estimated costs for subsequent amendments, subject to appropriation of funds, are $80,000 for 2027 imagery, $80,000 for 2028 imagery, and $130,000 for 2029 imagery and LiDAR. Funding for these potential future amendments will be requested through the applicable future budget process.
BUDGET REFERENCE
The table below identifies the fund and appropriation to fund the recommended action related to the fourth amendment in the amount of $127,916.47.
Fund
#
Appn.
# Appropriation Name Total
Appropriation
Amount for
Contract
2026-2027
Proposed
Operating
Budget Page*
Last Budget
Action (Date,
Ord. No.)
001 0572 Public Works Non-
Personal/Equipment
$13,487,744 $127,916.47 733 6/16/2026
31336
* The 2026-2027 Proposed Operating Budget was approved on June 9, 2026, and adopted on June 16, 2026, by the City Council.
COORDINATION
This memorandum was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and the City Manager’s Budget Office.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
July 20, 2026
Subject: Fourth Amendment to the Agreement between the City of San José and the County of Santa Clara for Imagery and LiDAR Data Acquisition
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City Council Agenda website for the August 11, 2026 City Council meeting.
BOARD, COMMISSION, COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION AND INPUT
No board, commission, or committee recommendation or input is associated with this action.
CEQA
Not a Project, File No. PP17-003, Agreements/Contracts (New or Amended) resulting in no physical changes to the environment.
PUBLIC SUBSIDY REPORTING
This item does not include a public subsidy as defined in section 53083 or 53083.1 of the California Government Code or the City’s Open Government Resolution.
/s/
Matt Loesch
Director, Public Works
For questions, please contact Harsh Gautam, Division Manager – Technology Services, Public Works Department at [email protected] or (408) 535-8464.