Reading invests in aerial photography

Located at the heart of the UKâs âSilicon Valleyâ in the centre of the Thames Valley Region, Reading is a mainly urban, highly prosperous town. Most of the Directorates within the Council are already using the GeoPerspectives aerial photography to improve services, reduce administration and manage essential council information. Projects have included identifying changes in buildings for Planning and Building Control, validation of the Councilâs address gazetteer, the creation of up to date and accurate asset databases for Highways, Parks and Tree Preservation Orders, and improved mobile data capture for environmental management. âThe imagery is already proving to be a valuable resource for users throughout the Council,â said Louise Angell, GIS and Mapping Officer. âUsing the aerial photography as a backdrop, Officers can check existing databases, such as the LLPG, at their desks. They can undertake initial site investigations without leaving the office and when in the field, the imagery is proving to be an essential navigational tool.ââWe are currently undertaking a project using PDA devices for recording incidents such as fly tipping, abandoned vehicles and graffiti. Field inspectors can access the imagery using the PDA in order to locate, map and monitor incidents that impact on our environment,â continued Louise. The GeoPerspectives imagery was captured earlier this year using the latest digital camera technology. The Vexcel Ultra Cam D photogrammetric aerial survey camera enables imagery to be captured quickly and efficiently whilst maintaining the quality and accuracy of the photography. As the camera captures digital image files rather than storing images on film, the photography can be processed to create a map accurate dataset more quickly than if using conventional survey equipment. Purchased from aerial mapping company, BlueSky, by Reading Borough Council the 8cm resolution, georeferenced dataset will be stored in a central server accessed by users of the Councilâs corporate GIS via the Councilâs intranet.GeoPerspectives is a joint venture between Infoterra and BlueSky providing national coverage of orthorectified aerial photography, digital terrain & surface models (DTM/DSM) for 3D modelling, and colour infra-red imagery (CIR) for vegetation analysis.

Author: Geoperspectives

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www.geoperspectives.co.uk