Oblique imagery to aid Thames Gateway development

01 July 2007, 7:37am

The Thames Gateway is one of the biggest regeneration projects taking place in Western Europe today. With a remit to deliver tens of thousands of homes and jobs, even an experienced developer like the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation (TTGDC) needs help to see the bigger picture.

The acquisition of oblique photography, a new form of aerial imagery, will be used as a key resource in the regeneration of the 166 sq km region which borders the River Thames, from Rainham Marshes in the west to the eastern limits of the estuary.

The MultiVisionTM oblique photography provided by Getmapping Plc, shows aerial views of Thurrock from four different orientations with a 3D perspective. This added information will assist the Corporation in producing Master Plans and development guides for key areas and sites. It will also be used as a tool in demonstrating proposed plans and planning applications to residents and other stakeholders.

Fiona Hardie, Director of Marketing and Communications, at the Development Corporation said: “I have worked with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and aerial photography before but it has not been of this quality – this is far superior and it is very user-friendly.

Basic maps don’t offer a detailed view. Getmapping’s oblique system provides us with a key resource that shows areas in four different orientations. Nothing replaces actually walking the sites but oblique photography helps us reduce time spent on site visits.

This system provides us with a tool that will help our communication with the residents of Thurrock. Presented with MultiVisionTM oblique photography they can recognise the road or area in which they live. This personalises our proposed developments for them, giving greater relevance to our plans.”

Thurrock was identified by the government as a key region for the prosperity of London and Southern England. Working in partnership with Thurrock Council, businesses and other key stakeholders, the Development Corporation’s task is to bring new life to existing communities and to deliver new homes, jobs and businesses and at the same time support improvements to transport and community services.

Five principal growth hubs have been identified, each with its own economic focus, to stimulate growth in surrounding areas. Each area requires individual Master Plans and the use of Getmapping’s oblique system will assist in this.

James Bompas, Assistant Planner at the Development Corporation said: “We wanted a GIS package that could do what it said on the tin that people could use easily. Most public sector groups might initially be drawn to using Ordnance Survey but, for our needs, Getmapping provided a much better solution.

MultiVisionTM oblique imagery is vastly better than aerial photography. The biggest advantage is that old maps can be instantly updated with this product. It gives you a full appreciation of the environment you are working in and allows you to take measurements of buildings. I can also extract layers from our GIS package and put it into a 3D environment, something I couldn’t do before. It’s a comprehensive package that does so much.”

By utilising Getmapping’s MultiVisionTM oblique photography TTGDC will enhance the development work being carried out in the region and communicate more effectively with residents to improve the quality of life for new and existing communities in Thurrock.

www.getmapping.com

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