Getmapping provides The National Trust with Imagery of its Complete Estate

Hartley Wintney, September 4th 2008 - Getmapping has provided the National Trust with 9000 sq km of aerial photography covering all of their UK regions and properties. The data, taken from two datasets, in order to monitor recent change, will be used for both management and display purposes and accessed via their intranet GIS Browser mapping system

Mike Renow-Clarke, Senior Land and Property Data Officer said, “I am keen to ensure that all 500 GIS Browser users, from Head Office to Property Management have access to aerial photographs of the National Trust estate. This will enable people who are not usually map users to get more of a feel for their surroundings, and supplement interpretations made using a normal map”.

The Getmapping aerial photographs will show changes that have occurred between the start of the millennium and the present day, allowing clearer visualisation of footfall damage and changes to flora that would only show up in ground surveys. It will allow the Trust to take preventative measures to slow or change footfall in both popular and remote areas. The imagery will become a useful tool to help monitor any change that is occurring and make better use of staff involved in management of their 240,000-hectare estate.

The photography will also show the grounds and views of properties that the employees may not have had the chance to see before. From now on every GIS Browser user (currently 500) will be able to access the imagery through the intranet system. Many of the properties were designed for and built in spectacular locations, which the Getmapping photography will help demonstrate. “We are still exploring what we can do with the photography, it has great potential and will be very useful, said Mike Renow-Clarke ”

The National Trust GIS specialists will be able to directly access the images within GIS software and use these as additional information for editing vegetation and feature boundaries particularly where base maps have not yet been updated.

National Trust Members will also get to see the imagery, as it will be used for the promotion and advertising of properties and walks that the members can visit and explore. Posters and information flyers will contain vertical images of the properties showing the grounds and walks that can be followed.

Getmapping will be working closely with the National Trust in the future to ensure that it can provide new imagery when needed both of properties already owned plus any new acquisitions, helping them to preserve and maintain the UK’s valuable heritage.