Nationwide 3D aerial map goes online at Bluesky-World

A 3D map of England and Wales is being made available online by Leicestershire aerial mapping company Bluesky. The digital models show heights above sea level and can be used to create 3D visualisations of the terrain and cityscapes. 

Derived from digital aerial photography using specialist software that mimics the way the human eye perceives distance, the models map the surface of the earth, together with vegetation cover and man-made structures, to a very high level of accuracy.  The 3D map complements aerial photomaps and other aerial survey data such as property heat loss maps that are already available online, where visitors can view their local area by entering a place name or postcode.
 
Available online, in a range of formats suitable for use in Geographical Information System (GIS), Computer Aided Design (CAD) or 3D visualisation software the DTM / DSM data is designed for applications that require a real world representation of the earth’s surface and the vegetation and buildings that cover it. From simple identification of ground surface features to more complex projects including flood risk assessment and mobile network planning, the data is offered free of Crown Copyright with flexible licencing terms.
 
Digital Terrain and Elevation Models are photogrammetrically derived using specialist software to measure common points in overlapping aerial images. The online models provide height measurements at 2 and 5 metre resolutions, for the DEM and DTM respectively, with positional accuracies of up to 1 metre. Enhancement using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data in urban areas enables accuracies of up to 25 centimetres to be achieved.
 
“The height models are derived from GeoPerspectives aerial imagery using specialist software by a dedicated production team,” commented Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky. “As this imagery offers the most up-to-date view of our world so the DTM and DEM data in turn provide the most current, detailed and accurate representation of terrain and surface of the earth for a wide range of applications.”
 
GeoPerspectives is a joint venture between Bluesky and Infoterra providing national coverage of orthorectified aerial photography, digital terrain & surface models (DTM/DSM) for 3D modelling, and colour infrared imagery (CIR) for vegetation analysis.