15 June 2007

Ordnance Survey brings a new perspective to London

Ordnance Survey has become the first organisation to offer oblique imagery for the whole of London, offering a revolutionary new perspective of the capital. Over 3 000 km2 of data covering all London boroughs is available for immediate supply.

Pictometry^® oblique imagery provides an instantly available, ‘off-the-shelf’ dataset of high-resolution 15 cm imagery, with every feature in the built and natural environment imaged from all four cardinal points of the compass along with the vertical view.

Pictometry oblique imagery can be fully integrated with other geographic and mapping information within a wide range of geographical information systems (GIS), enabling viewing, measurement and inspection of locations or properties from multiple vantage points. The imagery allows assessment of the size, shape, design, construction and surrounding environment of any building from upwards of twenty different oblique and vertical vantage points.

Access to multiple perspectives is particularly useful for law enforcement, emergency response, planning departments, insurance companies and others in need of a detailed view of the elevation and surroundings of buildings.

Emergency services can view incident locations in their entirety while en route, and get fast access to the number of floors in a building, access points, location of windows and so on. This enables them to start formulating their plan of action before arriving on the scene and respond quicker to the incident.

Town planners are able to model a proposed new building and the visual impact of new buildings from different viewpoints. Distance and height measurement tools will provide valuable information, potentially ruling out the need for preliminary site inspections, saving time and money.

Peter ter Haar, Director of Products at Ordnance Survey, says, “Pictometry oblique imagery represents a quantum leap forward in aerial imaging.  Multiple perspectives give an unprecedented view of the built environment never previously available. We are recognising a growing number of markets embracing the wealth of functionality that Pictometry’s oblique imagery and software can deliver. This type of oblique imaging technology proves a perfect complement to our most detailed data, seamlessly combining to deliver a unique and accurate view of the built and natural environment.”

Data for all towns and cities across Great Britain with populations greater than 50 000 will be available by the end of 2007, with over 70% of data captured to date. Pictometry oblique imagery fits well with Ordnance Survey’s core datasets. It complements the entire OS MasterMap ^® intelligent data portfolio of Topography, Imagery, Address and Integrated Transport Network™ Layers and can be used in conjunction with Ordnance Survey’s Points of Interest data.

For more information, visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/products/pictometry.  

END

Notes for editors:

1     Ordnance Survey is Great Britain’s national mapping agency, providing the most accurate and up-to-date geographic data, relied on by government, business and the public.

2     Download this news release at www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/media

3     Ordnance Survey, the OS Symbol, OS MasterMap are registered trademarks and Integrated Transport Network is a trademark of Ordnance Survey.

4     Ordnance Survey has teamed up with BLOM, the UK partner of US-based Pictometry International Corporation, to become authorised resellers of Pictometry data for Great Britain.

5     Pictometry is a registered trademark of Pictometry International Corporation.

 

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Head of Corporate Communications - Rob Andrews

Email: rob.andrews@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2265

Senior Communications & PR Officer - Paul Beauchamp

Email: paul.beauchamp@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2568

Press Office fax: (+44) 023 8030 5295