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More than 2,500 visitors converged on the NEC in mid-September to see the latest offerings from 200 cutting-edge suppliers and to discover the latest in flood resilience measures at 100 expert-led seminars.
While the majority of exhibitors featured flood protection hardware such as barriers and pumps, measures that exploit geospatial techniques were evident in solutions such as HydroMaster, a joint collaboration between MeteoGroup Ltd, Kisters AG and DHI. The live web service combines spatio-temporal radar data, measuring point data, and results from forecasts and models to calculate precise forecasts and precipitation warnings for deï¬ned hotspots, zones of interest and catchments.
Geocurve, based in Colchester, promoted its UAV-based and Virtual Reality surveying techniques alongside its use of the Leica Pegasus backpack and Pegasus Two mobile mapper for the rapid capture of 3D point cloud data.Another exhibitor showcasing its use of drones for flood and coastal infrastructure projects was London-based Future Aerial Innovations. The company has mapped and inspected over 40 km of coastal assets this year, much of the work requiring a rapid turnaround and the continuous delivery of large quantities of data to clients. This was described by GIS expert, Andrew Blogg, in a packed seminar session.
The seminar programme also included a presentation by Dave Jones on the Environment Agency’s move towards making its Flood Map for Planning (see photo) a one-stop-shop service. Ambiental’s Paul Drury spoke on innovations in flood modelling. forecasting and risk analytics modelling, while Warren Vick, founder and MD of Europa Technologies, outlined the use of location intelligence for precision flood risk assessment.
Also promoting location intelligence solutions for the land and property markets was Groundsure of Brighton which highlighted the BETA version of its map-based Groundsure.io free Open Data viewer.Already being accessed by many environmental consultants, the viewer integrates various Open Data sources into one easy to use, interactive web experience. An upcoming feature release will be a ‘get info’ tool where users can access the next level of Open Data regarding features identified on the map. On the Environment Agency showstand, visitors were able to access its Flood Map for Planning. This is in BETA test on a new site to provide better information for planning applications within areas of flood risk.
Fugro, SCCS Survey Equipment, Survey Solutions Scotland and Yellowscan were all busy promoting surveying instruments and services; Storm Geomatics presented its data offering for the creation of accurate flood risk models, while the British Geological Survey promoted its long-established Infiltration SuDS map … one that shows areas where rainfall can soak into the ground through Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), such as soakaways, infiltration basins and permeable pavements.
