Leicestershire, UK, 05 November 2009 – Homeowners in West Yorkshire, UK, will soon be able to go online to see the heat loss from their property.  Following airborne surveys by aerial mapping firm Bluesky, the property level thermal map together with high-resolution aerial photography are to be provided online by Calderdale Council.  The council’s re-launched Calderdale Maps Online service will offer interactive maps together with new features such as address look ups and find my nearest.

The first phase of the relaunch will be the property level heat loss map created by Bluesky following a thermal aerial survey in March 2009. The interactive map will allow visitors to the website to check the thermal efficiency of their home or business property and then access further web pages detailing what measures can be taken to reduce heat loss.  In the case of homeowners, how they can apply for free or discounted loft and cavity wall insulation. Visitors to the site can also choose to view the data in an accessible way through an address look up form that returns property specific heat loss information in a text friendly format.

The latest online evolution is designed to allow the customer greater flexibility in terms of self service and the use of good quality geographic information was seen as fundamental to its take up and success. “The aim of the thermal survey and online map created by Bluesky is to raise awareness of energy efficiency amongst the householders and business owners of Calderdale and to encourage householders to have their property insulated,” commented Debbie Chew of the Environmental Management Team.

The thermal efficiency information is also being made available internally via the Council’s intranet mapping tool giving officers across the organisation access to the data. “In a more strategic channel the Corporate GIS Team will be working with the Private Sector Housing Team to analyse the data and target areas of the district where insulation is most required,” added Craig Moulding, Corporate GIS Manager.

The second phase of the online project will be the full transposition of information from the Council’s existing mapping portal to a new web application. Utilising the latest technology, interactive maps will be embedded within pages across the site providing visitors with access to a plethora of council datasets such as conservation and heritage, public rights of way and environmental and planning issues. The chosen data can be viewed with either Ordnance Survey mapping or Bluesky’s high resolution, 2009 aerial photography as a background.

Calderdale are long-term users of aerial photography pioneering in their deployment of the information rich resource by the Internet and Council Intranet. This has encouraged the use of data which in turn has established aerial photography as an essential tool in many departments, for example within the planning enforcement process. “As well as helping to build a picture of a site, and its changes over a period of time, aerial photography has been used on countless occasions to prove or disprove the existence of a development or change of land use. This is particularly important as development becomes immune from planning enforcement action after a certain period of time,” commented Robert Rose of the Planning Enforcement Team.

Website: www.bluesky-world.com

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

Notes to Editor:

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

Coalville, Leicestershire, UK, October 2009 – Aerial survey company Bluesky has launched an easy-to-use property heat loss mapper to help Local Authorities view thermal data which is collected during airborne thermal imaging surveys.  The HELIOS (Heat Loss Investigation System) web based reporting tool, developed by Manchester Geomatics, will help energy and environment teams understand the results of thermal surveys and allow cross referencing of data with other information.

With fuel poverty and energy consumption high on both the political and personal agenda, HELIOS allows survey results to be presented in a visually appealing and easily understandable manner.  HELIOS is designed to manage multiple data types enabling the cross referencing of thermal mapping with geo-demographic data such as Census information, building classification mapping and land use.  It also matches address information including the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG), base mapping from Ordnance Survey, and other custom data layers such as the energy consumption compiled by BERR.

This powerful combination of information will help Local Authorities identify opportunities to engage with residents and the business community about suitable insulation grants, consumption advice and renewable energy products thus helping to measure and report on National Indicators and Performance Targets. 

“Fuel consumption and energy efficiency are ‘hot’ topics impacting not only on the environment but on the purse of every business, household and individual,” commented Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky. “By providing Local Authorities with up-to-date, building level thermal imagery plus the tools they need to analyse and communicate this information rich resource we can help reduce consumption, protect at risk residents and preserve the environment.” 

The end-to-end solution offered by Bluesky to Local Authorities includes a cost effective airborne thermal survey service measuring building roof heat loss levels across an entire city in just one evening plus a bespoke thermal mapping service creating intelligent energy consumption and fuel poverty maps to support energy strategies and local campaigns. By using HELIOS, Councils can now easily analyse complex data from multiple sources and share results with colleagues, partner organisations and members of the public. Bluesky has many years of successfully delivering thermal survey solutions to Local Authorities and help assemble, host and manage a HELIOS installation on behalf of an organisation.

Website: www.bluesky-world.com 

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

Manchester Geomatics (MGL) is a geo-consultancy firm.  MGL create bespoke software solutions and consultancy to support the management, presentation and analysis of spatially referenced socio-economic data.  They also specialise in address quality assurance consultancy and software tools to audit and maintain address and spatial data holdings. 

Ten years experience developing web based Local Information and Data Management Systems has resulted in a range of functionally rich, easy-to-use solutions, including most recently, HELIOS. MGL have successfully delivered several national projects relating to address cleansing, standardisation and matching and have expertise in optimising large databases for efficient throughput and querying of information. 

www.mgeomatics.com