Getmapping LiDAR Office in Centurion, South Africa Now Opens

As part of its continued expansion into Africa, Geosense, Getmapping’s wholly owned subsidiary in South Africa, has opened a new office in Centurion. The office will be the new centre of flight operations and the focus of the company’s extensive LiDAR capability. Getmapping now has three offices in Africa - Cape Town, Centurion and Nairobi.

LiDAR uses a laser to measure the distance between the sensor, normally airborne, and the ground surface. The resulting highly accurate terrain map is suitable for a range of engineering applications, including infrastructure projects, such as road, rail and power transmission lines, and land based activities such as mining and planning. LiDAR is also suitable for 3D visualisation and modelling. LiDAR point clouds enable the generation of highly accurate, high resolution DEMs that facilitate the extraction of surface features based on height such as buildings, trees, and power lines. For mining applications, airborne LiDAR is a fast and inexpensive method of revealing hidden surface geology and subsurface geological structures, including faults and fractures. It also provides data for valuable subsidence monitoring, landfill volume estimates and much more.

“We have built up extensive LiDAR capabilities in South Africa to complement our existing large format digital camera capabilities and provide a full survey service to our customers, especially in the mining and power transmission sectors,” said Dave Horner, Managing Director of Getmapping. “It makes sense for us to base our LiDAR and the flight operations in an area where most of our mining and power transmission customers are also based. Our Cape Town office will continue as the production centre for much of our processing and analytical work for both Africa and the UK, and to service our customers in the Western Cape Area,” continued Horner.

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Getmapping Launches Maps API

Getmapping has launched its own ‘Maps API’ which enables customers to introduce interactive maps to their websites, or web-based applications. The ‘Maps API’ provides access to Getmapping’s own hi-resolution aerial photography and high quality Ordnance Survey OpenData mapping, together with a comprehensive reverse geocoding service. With fast UK based servers and very competitive pricing the Getmapping ‘Maps API’ provides a really attractive alternative to Google and Microsoft.

The Getmapping ‘Maps API’ is fully featured with a familiar pan and zoom interface and simple on screen buttons to choose between Ordnance Survey mapping at multiple scales, high quality high resolution aerial photography or a hybrid view. The ‘Maps API’ also boasts a comprehensive set of tools for creating map markers, for points of interest for example, plus line and polygon features. Add precise Latitude and Longitude map location and you also have the possibility for reverse geocoding to an address or place name and opportunities for geo-fencing, useful for setting predefined boundaries for neighbourhoods, catchments or designated routes.

The Getmapping ‘Maps API’ is expected to be of interest to any business or organisation where location is important, from those who simply wish to embed maps in their websites for facilities like find nearest branch, to those that wish to build fully featured web applications that track people, vehicles or assets. The increasing popularity of mobile location based applications suggests that there will be considerable interest from the burgeoning mobile app development community focused on the iOS and Android platforms.

The benefits of the Getmapping ‘Maps API’ over others include fast UK based servers, updated high resolution aerial photography for the whole of the UK, high quality Ordnance Survey mapping and a highly accurate geocoding service. Finally the Getmapping ‘Maps API’ is aggressively priced to provide a real alternative to industry incumbents such as Google and Microsoft. There are various pricing models to suit any business including annual fixed subscription, per-unit pricing and bandwidth-linked pricing.

“We have been hosting our own aerial photography and Ordnance Survey mapping data for some time and made it available to customers via WMS, so developing our own API was a logical next step,” said Dave Horner, Managing Director of Getmapping. “This is a really competitive offering and we have high hopes that it will prove popular with website, web and mobile application developers, especially when we launch the international version later this year. There’s real interest here for specialists such as tracking companies too and public sector organisations such as local authorities and the blue light services,” continued Horner.

About Getmapping Plc Getmapping Plc is a leading provider of aerial photography, digital mapping and web based services. With offices in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire and Cape Town, South Africa, Getmapping was the first company to have up to date nationwide coverage of Britain and pioneered online delivery of aerial photography to business and the public at large. A reseller of professional mapping, oblique photography, height data, OS maps and third party aerial photography, Getmapping services a wide variety of markets including press and media, local authorities, property and construction, environmental consultants and the public. It also provides a number of value added mapping products and services tailored to specific client needs including data hosting, online data delivery and web-based GIS. A pioneer of many online products through its website, Getmapping is the only company currently re-flying the whole of the UK at enhanced 12.5cm resolution. Visit www.getmapping.com for more.

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Planning Map Plus - New Planning Map Service

Getmapping has launched a new online Planning Maps service. For the thousands of architects and individuals who have to submit site location plans to comply with local authority planning regulations this is an affordable and simple to use service that removes much of the pain otherwise involved. An enhanced ‘Planning Maps Plus’ service also offers the ability to annotate and mark up plans.

To obtain an Ordnance Survey site plan with optional aerial photography a new user simply has to register and login. A registered user can choose from ‘Planning Maps’ or ‘Planning Maps Plus’. Simple Postcode location centres the map display on the property or area being searched for. Three different scales are available, 1:500, 1:1250 and 1:2500. The plans can be centred as required with the option of placing a location marker. Once selected the user proceeds to the checkout. Plans and aerial imagery can either be ordered for delivery by post or sent immediately as PDF files via email.

The enhanced ‘Planning Maps Plus’ option enables the user to annotate the plan using the online tools. Along with familiar pan and zoom there are additional tools to centre the map, draw areas, lines and edges. Existing map outlines such as building and plot extents and user created areas, lines and edges can be coloured and infilled. Full online help makes producing professional results a simple task.

Every planning application needs a plan showing the location and boundaries of the site you are planning to work on but getting hold of precisely located maps is now more straightforward than ever. By adding aerial photography applicants can provide a better and more convenient context for planning officers to work with. The new mark up tools available with Planning Maps Plus enable applicants to produce a really professional job. The application is also available for Local Authorities to embed within the planning pages of their own websites, enabling them to benefit from a share of the income.

More of the product here.

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