Bluesky aerial maps for Hinckley & Bosworth shop

23 September 2008, 12:10pm

Leicestershire based Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council has launched a one-stop map shop supplying the latest aerial photography, height data and digital maps. Supported by aerial survey company Bluesky, the Council is improving the service it provides to citizens and local businesses while generating additional revenue for the Council. Visitors to the main Council offices can view the Bluesky photomaps on screen, identify their area of interest and order either a digital image file or hard copy print. The photography is the perfect complement to the Ordnance Survey mapping already on offer and is ideal for use in Home Information Packs, in support of planning applications or just for general interest or local studies.

Hinckley and Bosworth Council were part of a consortium that purchased the 10cm GeoPerspectives aerial photography from local company Bluesky last year. “We received enormous response to a feature in the Council magazine when we first acquired the imagery,” commented Lee McMahon, Land and Property Data Manager, “and as we were just launching as an Ordnance Survey Mapping and Data Centre it seemed the ideal opportunity to improve the service we provided to residents, by increasing the range of products on offer, and generate a return on our original investment.”

In addition to generating revenue from the sale of the Bluesky imagery to residents, leisure groups and local businesses the Council has also benefited from its use internally, “because the photography is up to date and so detailed it has become an essential tool, used on a daily basis throughout the organisation,” continued McMahon. “Within three weeks of acquiring the imagery it was used as evidence in a planning enforcement case, securing the Council not only a successful outcome for the Authority but costs that exceeded what we had paid for the data.”

The Bluesky imagery is also used to reduce the need for site visits as part of pre planning application process, as initial assessments can be undertaken at the desktop. This increases the efficiency with which planning officers work and reduces costs. The Council can also compare the Bluesky imagery with a previous survey flown in 2001 to identify change and assess the effectiveness of policy on local development.

As well as extensive use within the planning arena, where the data has become a vital resource in the decision making process, the imagery has also been used, in conjunction with the Council’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) to target properties to improve the take up of Green Waste Bins and as part of major Acquisitions and Disposal Policy that realised significant income for the Council and identified possible future investment sites.

Bluesky is a UK-based specialist in aerial imaging and remote sensing data collection and processing. An internationally recognised leader with projects extending around the globe, Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography, 3D landscape/cityscape visualisations, and 3D prints. Bluesky also runs a national mapping centre, providing digital maps, site plans, satellite imagery, aerial photography and ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns.

Website: www.bluesky-world.com
Contact Bluesky sales on +44 (0)1530 518 518

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