Property Consultancy Addresses COVID Challenges using thinkWhere Web Mapping Technology

Using the latest web mapping technology from thinkWhere, users from across the organisation, including home workers and staff operating in the field, are easily accessing maps and other types of geographic data from any internet enabled device. The cloud-based software and data portal groundMapper, is giving Galbraith easy-to-use access to more than 300 individual data layers from third party suppliers in addition to internal business data.

“The acquisition of good data, usually followed by an element of analysis or interpretation and ending with a deliverable solution is changing,” commented Daniel Campanile, Associate GIS Manager at Galbraith. “Photocopied paper maps annotated with coloured scribbles, vague sketches in notebooks and details obtained from unreliable memories or out of date sources is simply not good enough. Throw into mix the challenges of remote working, furloughed staff and changing business demands and you have tangible drivers for change.

“However, it’s not easy to get a compromise between adopting new technologies and just getting the job done with existing processes. Get it wrong and you run the risk of being left behind or overstretching limited resources. Get it right and you have the opportunity to make a significant impact,” he continued. “Working with thinkWhere to implement groundMapper allowed us to get it right! We have redeveloped our WebGIS and we now have a modern, future-proofed online platform, that can be used by all staff with access to the Internet, wherever they are, to get relevant geospatial information.”

Designed to be easy to use, groundMapper provides a rich suite of GIS tools for querying, viewing, printing and exporting geographic information. groundMapper also provides access to more than 300 regularly maintained, individual datasets including topographic and thematic mapping from organisations such Ordnance Survey, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission. Using groundMapper Galbraith can also share internal datasets, such as estate ownership, land use and soil quality, to inform decision making and its use has shifted working practices from the traditional model of static, high volume, pdf deliverable to dynamic interactions with clients, contractors and other stakeholders.

“A crucial enhancement brought about by groundMapper is the ability to provide project-specific mapping portals both for internal teams and also as collaborative working spaces that clients can access,” Campanile concluded. “In the wider context of GIS, the production of high-quality electronic maps is now the norm and the acquisition of site-based data is also changing as we introduce a capture once principle, underpinned by apps on smartphones and software on tablets, which in turn is reducing back office time and minimising potential errors.”

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