Getmapping Updates Complete Aerial Survey Of Scotland

It is a significant achievement as Scotland is notoriously difficult to survey from the air for a number of reasons, the main one being the variable weather. Scotland is also very mountainous and high latitudes mean a limited flying season due to less than optimal sun angles. Much of Scotland is also under snow for at least 4 months of the year. In the early spring and late autumn the sun angle reduces the amount of available survey time to less than 90 minutes per day.  A recent break in the weather enabled the last two ‘holes’ in the 2011 survey targets, in South Aberdeenshire and Angus to be captured.
Getmapping started its aerial survey of Scotland (including the Shetlands, Orkneys, St Kilda and other islands) in 2004 flying with analog film cameras. Getmapping was one of the first companies to adopt large format digital cameras specifically aimed at helping to capture the whole of Scotland. The survey is now complete using 3rd generation digital cameras. During this time Getmapping, the only commercial company maintaining Scotland has engaged in an ongoing update programme flying year-on-year to ensure the most up to date data.
“Flying and surveying Scotland has been hugely challenging for the company, and we were lucky to get a break in the weather last week to enable us to complete our 2011 survey” said Dave Horner, Managing Director. “Even when we had multiple survey planes permanently on station in Scotland the weather proved to be a constant frustration. Our commitment to new digital camera technology and a continuous up date programme means that 80% of the coverage in the complete survey, including the Islands and Highlands is no more than three years old and without doubt the best data of Scotland available,” continued Horner.

Comments (0)
Write comment
Your Contact Details:
Comment:

Perspectives

What do sensors add to a decision support system?

Written byMatt Ball
on May 22, 2012

An often-quoted Business Week article from 1999 stated that, “In the next century, planet Earth will don an electric skin…”...

Is it time for focused publications that aim to make sense of change at both the global and local scales?

Written byMatt Ball
on May 15, 2012

Change is a constant that is inevitable, but what isn't inevitable are disruptive impacts. The more we know about our...

GeoEye Proposes to Purchase DigitalGlobe

Written byMatt Ball
on May 04, 2012

The mergers and acquisitions within the geospatial technology space are white hot right now, with news Friday that GeoEye approached...

Why did Trimble buy SketchUp, and why did Google sell?

Written byMatt Ball
on April 29, 2012

It’s funny, my first reaction to the Trimble buys SketchUp news was that it was some kind of spoof, and...

If Enhanced View cuts come, why not remove resolution restrictions?

Written byMatt Ball
on April 22, 2012

A feature in the New York Times outlines the battle that is brewing in Congress to defend the use of...

Tag Cloud

Current Readers