Leicestershire, UK, 27 April 2016 Waterford City and County Council is one of the first organisations to benefit from the most up to date aerial photography of Ireland. Captured by Bluesky in 2015, the high resolution aerial images are being made available to all staff via the Councils intranet map portal, and to specialist users via desktop Geographical Information System (GIS) and Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. The Council has also taken delivery of Colour Infrared (CIR) imagery, and is about to receive detailed height models Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and Digital Surface Models (DSMs) covering the whole of the city and county area.
There was a recognised need within the Council for a more up to date source of information as our previous datasets were several years old, commented Jon Hawkins, GIS Project Leader for Waterford City and County Council. Bluesky was selected as a supplier following a rigorous tender process. Having now taken delivery of the data, feedback on the currency, accuracy and quality has been very positive.
Waterford City and County Council is already deploying the Bluesky datasets via the Councils intranet map and data servers, which gives access to the data described by Hawkins as a definitive resource to the entire Council. Specialist staff in the Councils five directorates access the data via desktop GIS from AutoCAD and MapInfo. Early applications of the data have included informing engineering and flood defence projects, supporting water mains rehabilitations projects, updating asset management for the highways department and use by the Planning section to process applications.
There are also plans to use the Bluesky data to underpin a project to ensure compliance with granted planning permissions. Staff within the Councils Planning department will overlay the Bluesky imagery, aerial photography and CIR, with other map layers, including records of permissions granted, to see if work has commenced. They can then establish if the terms of permission are being adhered to and if the correct fees have been levied and paid. It is hoped this use of the Bluesky data to complete desktop surveys will reduce the need for site visits, ensure compliance with current policy, minimise costs and maximise revenues.
Bluesky originally announced its plans to capture high resolution, leaf on, aerial photography and CIR imagery for the whole of The Republic of Ireland in 2014, and began flying as planned during the Spring of 2015. Committed to a three year update cycle for core data products, Bluesky recommenced flying in spring 2016 and has already captured several thousand square kilometers of new data.
About Bluesky
Bluesky is a specialist in aerial survey including aerial photography, LiDAR and thermal data using the very latest survey technology, including two UltraCam Eagles and an Orion M300 LiDAR system. An internationally recognised leader with projects extending around the globe, Bluesky is proud to work with prestigious organisations such as Google, the BBC and Government Agencies. Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography and maintains national off the shelf coverage of aerial photography, DTM and DSM through an on-going three-year update programme. By purchasing a world first sensor for the simultaneous capture of LiDAR, Thermal and Aerial Photography data, Bluesky is in the enviable position of being able to provide customers with unique and cost effective solutions. Bluesky is leading the way in developing innovative solutions for environmental applications, including the UKs first National Tree Map (NTM), solar mapping and citywide heat loss maps and is currently developing noise and air quality mapping products. www.bluesky-world.com
