A new series of aerial maps of DeSoto County is available through the Planning Commission at $ 15 a sheet or $ 1,000 for the full set of 141 sheets.The planning director said the maps were prepared by Aerial Survey in January. They are shot on a scale of 1:4,800. Each inch on a photo equals 400 feet on the ground.Each sheet is 34-by-34 inches. He said the Planning Commission office could produce any order requests within about a week.The aerial maps are valued by engineers, architects, planners, developers and builders for their accurate depiction of locations of land forms and buildings and their relationship with undeveloped land.Deputy planning director said the commission hopes to recoup the $ 20,000 cost of the maps in about three years.Previous aerial maps cost $ 4 per sheet, but those were prepared based on aerial photos shot in 1977. Powell said working with the old maps was difficult because of all the development that has occurred since 1997.He said if the county had charged $ 10 for each new sheet, the commission would have to sell 2,000 sheets or 20 complete sets to recover the cost. At $ 20 per sheet, 1,000 sheets would have to be sold, or about seven complete sets. However, he said the recommended $ 15 per sheet cost would require the sale of 1,333 sheets, or 13 full sets, for recovery of costs.“We believe that is the best approach,” he told the Board of Supervisors.He said the county will need another set of satellite footprint maps within about five years because of development. “The people who use these maps want the most recent maps available,” he said.Maps can be requested through the Planning Office at the Courthouse in Hernando or purchased by mail by writing the Planning Commission at the DeSoto County Courthouse, 2535 U.S. 51 South, Hernando, Miss. 38632.Mail orders should specify the section, township and range sought. Postage and handling is $ 1.50 per sheet.“If purchasers do not know the section, township and range, they could contact us and talk about it before making a request,” he said.“Any volume purchases probably should be made in person. If those are to be mailed out, we would have to talk about the mailing and handling charges,” he said.