Cities Revealed Historic Imagery Stars in Emmy Primetime Award Category
Flashback Television production The Lost Evidence submitted for Visual Effects Award
8 June 2007: Cambridge – The GeoInformation® Group, publishers of Cities Revealed aerial photography (www.citiesrevealed.com), announces today that its Historic aerial imagery client, Flashback Television, producers of factual entertainment programmes, has been put forward for Emmy Primetime 2007 Award nomination.
Media giants Arts & Entertainment, owners of The History Channel, have proposed The Monte Cassino episode of The Lost Evidence series to The Academy of Television Arts & in the category of Special Visual Effects. The Monte Cassino episode is a stunning reconstruction of the desperate, costly Allied push to capture Rome from the Nazis following Mussolini’s surrender.
Having worked with the Historic division of The GeoInformation Group on previous productions Flashback Television contacted its director, Chris Going, to source historic aerial imagery to enhance the production. As an expert in historic aerial imagery Chris sourced frame data on aerial roll-film, exposed during reconnaissance missions of Monte Cassino, from a repository in Kansas, USA. Chris went on to discover that these flights had been designed to collect horizon-to-horizon imagery from three different camera positions, which was invaluable in creating an animated fly-through of the area.
Taylor Downing, managing Director of Flashback Television, comments, “Chris Going has been of great help – his knowledge of aerial imagery archives is exceptional. The GeoInformation Group is a highly respected, valuable and unique source of historic information, Chris’s contribution to the overall production cannot be underestimated.”
Chris Going responded, “It’s great that something one contributes to in another industry goes on to be so well regarded. Whether Monte Cassino does receive an Emmy or not it is reward in itself to work with such a vital and talented team. I wish the Flashback Television entry every success.”
The Historic division of The GeoInformation Group sources aerial imagery from unique archives to create databases that represents the very best of RAF, Luftwaffe and USAF aerial photography flown during 1939 to 1952. The Cities Revealed Historic imagery database provides an unprecedented and unparalleled insight into the past that may impact on modern activities. Combining the value of historical information with the wealth of detail that is contained in modern aerial photography creates a truly valuable source of information for understanding the environment of both today and yesterday.
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Cities Revealed Modern aerial imagery survey of Central London completed
Recent capture produces the most current, clearest, digital high-resolution aerial imagery available
30 May 2007: Cambridge – The GeoInformation® Group, publishers of Cities Revealed aerial photography (www.citiesrevealed.com), announces today that in May 2007 it completed a 10 cm resolution aerial imagery survey of Central London. The imagery captured, using the latest digital aerial imagery technology, is the most up to date and highest resolution survey being brought to market.
The GeoInformation Group are in the process of completing a full aerial survey of London and the surrounding area. The majority has already been captured including all of areas south of the Thames, which are currently being orthorectified. The remaining area will be flown during summer 2007, subject to weather conditions and permission from air traffic control.
Summer, or full leaf, capture produces clear, bright imagery and reduces the affect of long shadows, which can obscure ground features, often found in aerial imagery captured in the winter. Using digital cameras the aerial survey of Central London was captured in five-second intervals and was completed in less than four hours; this rapid data collection method ensures highly consistent imagery and minimises the affect of shadows.
Alun Jones, Managing Director, comments, “As a leading provider of geographic information products we continually forge ahead of the pack to produce the highest resolution aerial imagery to our clients. We understand the importance of having consistent, clear and current imagery to produce effective results. London is constantly developing and the local authorities require us, as a trusted data provider, to support their needs. Using the latest data capture methods we are able to supply the best imagery available.”
Existing and prospective clients can contact The GeoInformation Group to find when their area of interest will be made available.
The BBC choose Cities Revealed Modern aerial imagery for the London Marathon
19 April 2007: Cambridge, UK, – The GeoInformation Group, publishers of Cities Revealed aerial photography, announce today that for the fourth year running, the BBC is using Cities Revealed high-resolution Modern aerial photography to track the route of London Marathon runners. The Flora London Marathon takes places this Sunday, 22 April 2007 and the BBC expect the viewing audience to reach over 4.2 million.
Cities Revealed Modern and Historic aerial imagery is available for purchase online at www.citiesrevealed.com. Visitors to the site can preview their area of interest prior to purchase. The purchased aerial imagery is downloaded directly on to the customer’s personal computer.
For further information click here.
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Local Government Invests in Oblique Aerial Imaging Solution from The GeoInformation Group
Surrey Heath District Council chooses MultiVision™ to enhance their aerial view
15 March 2007: Cambridge – The GeoInformation® Group, publishers of Cities Revealed aerial photography (www.citiesrevealed.com), announce today that its first customer of MultiVision™ oblique imaging solution is Surrey Heath District Council. An area of 96 sq km will be captured for the GIS team at the council. With four oblique images and a highly detailed, fully mosaiced vertical survey the solution from The GeoInformation Group will provide a seamless view of the entire authority.
Oblique aerial imagery offers a different, and complementary, view of the world from that gained from the more widely used vertical image. It provides increased context of features in a more easily understood 3D perspective. The solution presents a viewpoint that is more familiar to many users.
James Rutter, GIS Manager at Surrey Heath District Council, comments, “Integrating the MultiVision oblique solution from The GeoInformation Group with our existing Intranet Cadcorp GIS will enhance its usability. We looked at other oblique products on the market and felt that they weren’t as ‘slick’ or as simple to use. Simplicity is key because end users will not have time to master yet another complex software interface.”
Multiple departments within the council will be utilising the technology, including application areas such as planning, enforcement, tree preservation and waste services.
James Rutter continues, “I tend to think that once we release the oblique survey for use in the Authority, many staff will find uses for it that we could have not have possibly foreseen, in the manner similar to the usage of the traditional air surveys.
We envisage that the primary use of the obliques imagery will probably rest with the planning department who already make extensive use of the GIS system. Planners will use it as an aid to making assessments of planning applications. They will be able to see the building elevations, materials and structure, which cannot be gleaned from traditional surveys. Importantly they will be able to use the measurement tools built into the interface to measure building heights directly from the imagery.”
In addition, the oblique solution was favourable to Surrey Heath District Council because of the licensing method offered by The GeoInformation Group. The authority has expressed that the lack of annual fees, the one off cost and the in perpetuity license, in addition to the technology itself, made the solution all the more attractive
Surrey Heath District Council is an existing client of The GeoInformation Group and is currently using Cities Revealed Land Use and Cities Revealed Historic aerial imagery across the authority.
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The GeoInformation Group and Getmapping Partnership Covers Every Angle with New Oblique Aerial Imaging Solution
21 February 2007: Cambridge – The GeoInformation® Group, publishers of Cities Revealed™ aerial photography (www.citiesrevealed.com) announce today their partnership with Getmapping to offer the MultiVision™ oblique imagery solution, which complements the Cities Revealed high-resolution vertical aerial photography.
Following thorough research into the oblique imagery market, The GeoInformation Group has selected the MultiVision product, which is being supplied by Getmapping through the partnership. Comprising aerial imagery acquired by Getmapping and MultiVision viewing and analysis software, this oblique imagery solution will be included within Cities Revealed City Pack™. Together, The GeoInformation Group and Getmapping will supply the MultiVision solution to clients across the United Kingdom.
The oblique aerial imagery solution offers a different view of the world from that gained from the more widely used vertical image. It provides increased context of features in a more easily understood 3D perspective. With five angled views the solution presents a viewpoint that is more familiar to many users.
Oblique aerial imagery solutions enable building or feature heights to be measured relative to the ground model, and horizontal measurement and area calculations. The software enables the user to create wire frame or building block models from the oblique image. A major advantage of MultiVision, over other systems, is that visualisation can be taken a step further. Using MultiVision, image thumbnails can be extracted from the obliques and rectified to fit the extracted building block, enabling the user to render and export an urban landscape in 3D.
MultiVision is provided complete with easy to use software, access to high-resolution 12.5 cm resolution imagery and the tools to build a bespoke digital cityscape. The solution integrates with GIS software, LiDAR and terrain models for higher accuracy measurements. Clients of The GeoInformation Group and Getmapping, investing in
Multivision, will benefit from in perpetuity licensing, new aerial imagery updates to be
captured during 2007 as well as low cost entry path with an early adopter-pricing package. This package includes favourable discounts on the data, software toolset and training.
Seppe Cassettari, CEO of The GeoInformation Group commented, “Significant interest in MultiVision has already been expressed by the police and security services. The ability to view a building from all sides and calculate information such as distance between two buildings and angle of view from one roof to another is clearly very valuable for many operational needs.”
Oblique aerial imagery can be utilised in many other applications focusing on regeneration, maintenance and management of key features and sites. Individual buildings, prestigious developments from office complexes to shopping centres, urban centres both old and new, motorway interchanges and complex junctions, airports, harbours, mining and landfill sites would all benefit from having a regularly maintained oblique survey.
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GeoDATA 2007: FREE Educational Seminars Lighting the Way to GI
14 February 2007- Training 4 GIS™, the training and consultancy division of The GeoInformation Group™, announced today that it is offering its fifth national GeoDATA seminar series showcasing geographic data and the benefits they bring to those within both the public and private sectors.
Due to the popularity of this educational seminar series, GeoDATA has become an annual fixture encouraging anyone interested in learning more about the availability, management and application of geographic data and related technologies.
The 1-day seminars are accredited by The Association of Geographic Information and are worth four CPD points towards the Chartered Geographer (GIS) status. The series will commence in Birmingham on 15 May followed by Edinburgh on 17 May, London on 22 May and Leeds on 24 May 2007.
Attendees will be catered for through a well structured educational seminar programme complemented by an exhibition. Leading data suppliers and data management specialists scheduled to participate at this event will include: The GeoInformation Group, Autodesk, British Geological Survey, Cadcorp Ltd, Digital National Framework, STAR-APIC, KOREC, Intermap Technologies (UK) Ltd, Environment Systems, The Association for Geographic Information and Experian.
The seminar content will include a mix of presentations and tutorials focusing on working practices and the latest technologies, and applications for service delivery. Topics will include:
* Intelligent Mapping
* The Digital National Framework
* Mapping and GIS Software
* Applications of Geoscience Data
* Chartered Geographer GIS
* Integrating CAD and GIS for cartography and 3D modelling
* Living in a 3D World
* Strong and prosperous communities – how to achieve the dream!
“The continuing popularity of these free seminars has been overwhelming. Part of its success is that it’s the only event of this sort within the UK that provides delegates with tuition in geographic data availability, management, and dissemination”, comments Fiona Cocks, Training Manager for Training 4 GIS. “The seminar also offers all visitors a key opportunity to obtain free access to the latest industry news as well as helpful advice from leading GI experts”.
GeoDATA 2007 expects to draw an even larger audience than last year’s 400-strong attendance and delegates are strongly encouraged to register their interest promptly. Further event details can be found at: www.training4gis.com or call 01223 880077.
For further information about this press release, please contact Nikki Jones or Rachel Widdicombe (tel: 01223 880077).
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European City of Culture 2008 invests in Cities Revealed Aerial Photography
High Resolution Aerial Imagery of Merseyside Captured at 12.5 cm
1 February 2007: Cambridge – The GeoInformation® Group, publishers of Cities Revealed aerial photography (www.citiesrevealed.com), announce today that it has captured aerial imagery of Liverpool and the Merseyside area at 12.5 cm resolution. This high-resolution aerial imagery dataset was captured in May 2006 and is the most current aerial imagery available of the area at this resolution.
A consortium of nine public sector organisations has purchased the imagery via the management consultancy Mott MacDonald. This is the third Cities Revealed Merseyside survey commissioned by the company for the consortium since 1997.
The consortium includes Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council, Liverpool City Council, Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, St Helen’s Metropolitan District Council and Halton Borough Council, Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and Merseytravel. The high-resolution aerial imagery is already providing an invaluable resource throughout the public sector organisations of Merseyside.
As European City of Culture 2008 Liverpool and the surrounding area is enjoying an extensive programme of regeneration and development. High-resolution aerial imagery enhances and contributes to decision-making processes regarding land development and will assist the emergency services in managing resources as the city changes and develops.
Alun Jones, Managing Director of The GeoInformation Group, comments, “With the very recent capture of Merseyside at high resolution, The GeoInformation Group continues to capture and provide the most up to date aerial imagery available to the market and maintains its position as leading supplier of geographic information to the public sector. The relationship between The GeoInformation Group, Mott-MacDonald, the local government and emergency services within the area is a strong one and we are pleased to include them amongst our clients.”
To find out more about the Merseyside aerial imagery dataset and the latest aerial imagery captured for the Cities Revealed portfolio contact The GeoInformation Group direct on 01223 880077.
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Cities Revealed Focuses High Resolution Digital Camera on the West Midlands
Modern aerial imagery of major conurbations in the West Midlands captured at 5cm resolution
23 November 2006: Cambridge – The GeoInformation® Group, publishers of Cities Revealed aerial photography (www.citiesrevealed.com), announce today, that it has captured approximately 1000 sq. km of the West Midlands at 5cm resolution using the latest digital camera technology. This extensive area includes the following major urban areas: Wolverhampton, Solihull, Walsall, Sandwell, Birmingham and Dudley.
Cities Revealed aerial imagery captured at 5cm is of an exceptional quality, providing a highly detailed view of the world with road markings and street furniture clearly visible.
Alun Jones, Managing Director of The GeoInformation Group, commented, ”Following earlier announcements detailing our plans to capture areas of the UK at 5cm resolution, we are pleased to have added this extensive area of the West Midlands to our Modern aerial imagery archive. This very high-resolution imagery set enhances the Cities Revealed product portfolio offering from The GeoInformation Group. We anticipate the capture of more 5cm aerial imagery of the UK in the future.”
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The GeoInformation Group announces “Digital London” Awareness Event
Free Digital London information awareness day suited to everyone working for a better London
25 October 2006: Cambridge – The GeoInformation® Group, publishers of Cities Revealed™ aerial photography (www.citiesrevealed.com), today announce that it will be hosting a geographic information solutions event focussing on London. The event will take place on 6 December 2006 at Regents College Conference Centre.
The Digital London event will showcase:
* The latest Cities Revealed Modern aerial imagery captured in 2006
* The most current LiDAR survey collected in 2006
* The London Land Use database upgraded into OS MasterMap™.
* The new oblique aerial imagery solution to compliment and integrate with Cities Revealed City Pack.
The Digital London event is for one day only and will be divided into a morning and afternoon session. The format for both sessions will be the same.
Earlier this year The GeoInformation Group announced City Pack™, a comprehensive and detailed geographic information solution, for UK cities, ideally suited to a wide array of applications focusing on the urban environment. Within the last six months The GeoInformation Group has invested in capturing new aerial photography, LiDAR surveys and has created new derived datasets of London, making them the ideal geographic information provider for the capital.
Alun Jones, Managing Director of The GeoInformation Group, commented, “London is one of the world’s busiest cities, as a tourist destination, as a business hub for financial trading and insurance and as the home to the United Kingdom’s government. To meet the demands of this dynamic city, professionals such as architects, property developers, and utility planners as well as and central and local government bodies such as Transport for London, and the emergency services need to have the current and accurate geographic information available in order to make informed decisions about the development of London. The Digital London event will raise awareness of the availability of detailed and highly accurate spatial data available to the people who need it most.
In just over five years London will host The 2012 Olympics and will play host to the worlds elite athletes and thousands of sports enthusiasts. In the intervening years, London will see major development affecting and improving its transport networks, utility supply, open spaces and recreation amenities. The Digital London event is a must attend for anyone involved in the development of London for The Olympics and beyond.”
It is anticipated that this will be a popular event; interested readers should contact The GeoInformation Group urgently as spaces are limited. To find out more or to register your interest in the Digital London event or City Pack contact The GeoInformation Group on 01223 880077 or visit www.citiesrevealed.com
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Department for Communities And Local Government Commission Training4GIS to Provide Flexible Geographic Information Integration Awareness Programme
19 October 2006: Cambridge – Training4GIS™, the training and consultancy division of The GeoInformation Group™, announce today that earlier this year it was selected, via a competitive tender, by Department for Communities And Local Government (DCLG), formerly the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, as the preferred training provider to support its strategy to increase the use of Geographic Information (GI) across DCLG.
DCLG has an active GI team and several focused groups of GI users across the Department. The small central GI team’s aim is to increase the use of geographic information across DCLG. The GI forum it organises is used to spread awareness to over 300 staff and to identify possible applications for wider use of GI.
Training4GIS was appointed to develop a tailored training programme. Key to the training was the provision of a flexible approach for the varying levels of training that was required. This was to ensure that the diverse range of directorates that comprise DCLG, including both policy makers and analysts, were catered for.
The initial aim of the training programme was to introduce as many staff as possible to the opportunities for integrating GI into their work activities and the benefits for policy-making, monitoring and analysis. To encourage staff to implement GI they would have to recognise ‘what’ GI could do for them but also ‘how’ it could easily and quickly produce results and/or aid understanding.
In working closely with the GI team, Training4GIS developed a programme that pushed the boundaries of traditional off-the-shelf training. The ongoing programme includes lunchtime awareness briefings, half-day workshops, practical classes and a senior managers seminar. Various levels of training were tailored to address the strategic priorities of DCLG whilst the flexible structure enabled case studies to be adapted to meet the specific requirements of attendees.
A GIS consultant from the GI Team (Analytical Services) at DCLG comments “We have been impressed by the flexible and professional service that is currently being provided byTraining4GIS and already reaping the benefits from this bespoke training programme”.
The training programme is expected to continue through to Spring 2007. On completion of the training programme, Training4GIS will provide DCLG with a complete set of tutor notes, course materials. A Train the Trainer workshop will provide the GI team with the knowledge and skills required to undertake future in-house training.
For further information about this press release, please contact Nikki Jones or Rachel Widdicombe (tel: 01223 880077).
