Coalville, Leicestershire, UK, November 2009 – Dorset’s A35 and C6 roads form a crucial link down to the county’s south coast. With a view of improving this link and therefore relieving seasonal congestion on over-capacity neighbouring routes, Dorset County Council has commissioned multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Buro Happold to prepare a feasibility study into bypass options for the village of Bere Regis.

In order to accurately understand the levels and features of the local terrain, the consultancy has used UK specialist Bluesky’s 3D map system which creates digital maps captured by aircraft mounted lasers. Bluesky have also supplied high resolution aerial photography that has been used to create 3D fly-throughs and visualisations of the resulting designs. 

Using 12d Model, a powerful terrain modelling and civil engineering software package, Buro Happold has expanded on an earlier feasibility study and prepared three options for the bypass. The detailed terrain model has allowed the designers to minimise any impact on the environment, particularly the associated costs of cut and fill operations.

“The size of the study area meant a traditional topographic survey was simply not feasible due to cost implications,” commented Neil Harvey, Senior Engineer in Buro Happold’s Highways and Infrastructure division. “However for the same price as a relatively small ground survey we were able to acquire very accurate terrain measurements and high resolution aerial photography of the entire study area. These have proved instrumental in progressing the feasibility study and preparing designs for each of the three options. The aerial photography will also be fundamental in communicating these designs during a future public consultation period as they provide real world detail to our computer generated models.”   

In order to capture the highly accurate LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data a survey aircraft equipped with a system of lasers was used. Lasers were beamed to the surface and the time taken for the beam to be bounced back to aircraft-mounted receivers was recorded. Using the known position of the aircraft (derived from on-board satellite positioning equipment), the time taken for the return of the laser beam and the known value of the speed of light; the distance between the aircraft and ground is calculated. Additional readings can also be taken to determine the height of buildings, vegetation and other surface structures.

The Bluesky LiDAR data forms part of a detailed 3D terrain map, which is available online, that covers most of England and Wales including all major urban centres, coastal areas and flood plains. Aerial photography for the whole of England, Wales and parts of Scotland is also available to view and purchase online.

Website: www.bluesky-world.com

Editorial enquiries, contact Robert Peel on +44 (0)1666 823306 

All reader enquiries to Bluesky sales on +44 (0)1530 518 518

Editor’s Notes:

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 is proud to work with prestigious organisations such as Google, the BBC and Government Agencies. Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography, 3D landscape/cityscape visualisations and prints and also runs a national mapping centre, providing digital mapping, satellite imagery and aerial photography including ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns.

www.bluesky-world.com

Buro Happold is a multi-disciplinary international practice of consulting engineers established in 1976. It offers civil and structural engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, quantity surveying, building services and environmental engineering, management consultancy, health and safety management, infrastructure and traffic engineering, ground engineering, façade engineering, fire engineering, computational fluid dynamics analysis, inclusive design consultancy, project management, urban design and a range of specialist CAD services

www.BuroHappold.com

Bluesky has launched a brand new online map shop that offers a unique range of mapping, aerial photography and other aerial survey data available online at the touch of a button. Visitors to www.bluesky-world.com can search using a postcode, place name or a geographic co-ordinate, view and refine their selection before purchasing CAD and GIS ready digital data.

The new website, which has an enhanced look and an improved user experience, provides access to the most up to date aerial photography, height data, detailed 3D models, LiDAR, thermal imagery and Ordnance Survey mapping.  www.bluesky-world.com is the only UK site offering online access to this wide selection of data for areas across England, Wales and Scotland.

“Bluesky has built up an extensive range of geographic data which it has now made available from a single on-line mapshop,” said Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky. “We recognise the need to continually deliver what the market wants and this is why we continually review both our online service and product offering ensuring we are up to date and inline with market expectations. We are confident that this new look website offering access to a huge range of up to date geographic information will prove popular with both existing and new customers.”

After selecting a location by entering a postcode, place or geographic co-ordinate, visitors to www.bluesky-world.com are shown an image of the chosen area, which they can zoom in or out, or pan around to refine their search. The site already offers visitors access to the most up to date aerial photography covering every inch of England and Wales plus significant parts of Scotland.

The Bluesky online aerial photo offering, is supplemented by additional layers of geographic information, including Ordnance Survey mapping, detailed 3D City Models, LiDAR data, Digital Surface and Terrain Models (DSM and DTM), Colour Infrared mapping and Thermal Survey images, which are all available for instant download and coverage is increasing continually.  Future plans include online access to additional historic survey images, oblique photography and additional map based products.

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 is proud to work with prestigious organisations such as Google, the BBC and Government Agencies.  Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography, 3D landscape/cityscape visualisations and prints and also runs a national mapping centre, providing digital mapping, satellite imagery and aerial photography including ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns. 

Using amazing new 3D printing technology, Bluesky has created a large-scale model to assist with the planning of Sherford, a new market town on the outskirts of Plymouth. The model combines the most up- to-date aerial photography of the development site and its surrounding area with highly detailed height measurements, to create a geographically accurate, physical model. In addition to the real world detail provided by the aerial photography, Bluesky worked closely with Red Tree, the developer promoting Sherford, to include development boundary and Main Street details for the proposed development.

The new village of Sherford will be located in the southwest corner of Devon, at the gateway to Cornwall, and will form an urban extension to the coastal city of Plymouth. Sherford, which will provide up to 5,500 new homes, up to 7,000 new jobs and a 207 hectare Community Park, is due to start on site with Phase 1 of the construction programme in spring 2008, subject to relevant planning consents.

“The model created for us by Bluesky was used to communicate the outline shape and form of the development against the topographical backdrop at a series of public consultation meetings and drop in sessions held by South Hams District Council and Plymouth City Council,”  Rebecca Sturge, Project Manager for the Sherford development at Red Tree (2004) LLP said. She continued, “The model drew the public into the consultation process as it was visually very impressive yet easy to interpret and understand.”

The stunning 3D model was created by combining GeoPerspectives aerial photography and ground measurements to produce a 3D computer simulation of the site. Additional details, such as the development and Main Street boundaries, were mapped onto the digital representation. Then, just as a standard desktop printer produces a hard copy replication of a document, Bluesky’s Contex 3D printer produced a physical model of the computer-generated design. Proprietary software ‘sliced’ the computer design into thousands of ultra fine layers that were then individually ‘printed’ by spreading a sub millimetre thin layer of composite powder onto a base. The model was then built up with subsequent layers of powder that were fixed together using a liquid binder.

Bluesky is a UK based company specialising in aerial imaging and remote sensing data collection and processing. With projects extending around the globe it has an international reputation for the creation of seamless digital aerial photography and 3D landscape / cityscape visualisations. Bluesky’s national mapping centre provides digital maps, site maps, satellite imagery, aerial photography and ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns.

Britain from Above, a new series showing aerial photos of Britain and remote sensing technologies, the programme on Sunday 17th demonstrated the power of LiDAR data for identifying archaeological sites. After carrying out a survey using LiDAR technology on a small wooded area archaeologists analysed the data collected by stripping away the surface features such as vegetation in order to create a highly accurate Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the area and discovered the partial outline of an ancient building that had previously been hidden from site by woodland and undergrowth. 

This application is one of many that Bluesky customers are using. As one of the main suppliers of LiDAR data in the UK Bluesky can fully understand the requirements of its LiDAR customers.  Well done the BBC for highlighting an important use of LiDAR.