Skip to main content

Innovative GIS advances from Bluesky

Aerial survey specialist Bluesky is funding research into the development and use of a new system to map the UK’s cities and towns at night. Bluesky has teamed up with the University of Leicester to look at solutions using new high sensitivity camera sensor technology. Mounted on survey aircraft, the new system can record the location of street lights, illuminated road signs and other night-time sources of light. This can deliver an accurate resource for asset inventories, light pollution assessment and ene
July 18, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
Small and compact, the UAV offered by Bluesky delivers fast, efficient, accurate and low-cost GIS aerial data
RSS

Aerial survey specialist Bluesky is funding research into the development and use of a new system to map the UK’s cities and towns at night. Bluesky has teamed up with the University of Leicester to look at solutions using new high sensitivity camera sensor technology. Mounted on survey aircraft, the new system can record the location of street lights, illuminated road signs and other night-time sources of light. This can deliver an accurate resource for asset inventories, light pollution assessment and energy optimisation measurements.

The map accurate Nightsky images produced by the new system will be suitable for use in a desktop mapping tool or geographical information system (GIS). Providing intelligence for Local Authorities and other organisations with responsibility for lighting infrastructure Nightsky maps will be used as an aid for street lighting inventories and condition assessments and to assist with the identification of units for routine maintenance or fault repair. It is thought that Nightsky maps will also be used as an aid for research into new LED technologies as organisations across the globe are faced with challenging budget cuts.

In addition, 6242 Bluesky is also offering a fast-response, low-cost aerial survey service using state of the art unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones. The technology, originally developed by the military, includes artificial intelligence (AI) guided autopilot and a high resolution integrated camera.

Autonomous take-off and landing ensures the system is easy to use and with a wingspan of less than 1m it can be easily transported.

James Eddy, technical director at Bluesky said, “The integrated camera captures high resolution photogrammetric images that can be used to create map accurate aerial survey data including height models. The system is compact and lightweight making it easy to store and transport and can be launched by hand from virtually any location.”

The geographically accurate imagery can provide a record of activity at a given point in time and the highly detailed height models could be used to measure cut and fill volumes and for facilities management and safety monitoring. Large scale construction sites can be surveyed, at regular intervals or predetermined points in time, providing data for project management, reporting and funding. The height data can be used for line of site calculations to ensure compliance with planning applications or cut and fill calculations for project invoicing and for the creation of realistic 3D images for marketing or KPI reporting.

Meanwhile specialist 5236 Symology has won a key contract from the UK Government for its Street Works package. The Symology Insight Street Works Management for Traffic Managers (Cloud Edition) is said to build on existing attributes of Symology’s managed service and delivers Symology’s Street Works Management solution in a way consistent with the demands of cloud computing. This includes a point solution for Street Works Management, launch from a standard web browser for ease of user implementation and access and multi-tenanted architecture providing efficient use of ICT. The package also allows businesses to scale their requirements and provides a 12 month minimum contract term.RSS

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Growing WIM demand in Russia and South America
    April 4, 2014
    One Eastern European WIM manufacturer is finding commercial success in Russia, while another leading manufacturer is in demand in South America, as Guy Woodford reports Since Czech WIM technology manufacturer Camea secured type approval for its UnicamWIM system in early 2013, the firm has been installing a number of the systems in different Russian regions. These have included two UnicamWIM stations in Novosibirsk, one in the Kostroma region, and another on the M20 Highway between Belarus and Russia.
  • High-tech, high places: 3M in US and MetService in New Zealand
    August 1, 2017
    The US state of Michigan sets up a high-tech test road while New Zealand’s transport officials buy in some high-tech weather forecasting. The road safety division of 3M will provide the US state of Michigan with lane markings and retroreflective signs for a connected vehicle technologies trial along the I-75 highway. Around 5km of the Interstate 75 work zone in Oakland County will be transformed over the next four months to improve safety for drivers and test advanced vehicle-to-infrastructure technologie
  • Improved laser scanning capabilities
    February 23, 2012
    Leica Geosystems is broadening its software offering with its new Leica Cyclone v7.2 package, which is said to improve office processing capabilities. The package has been developed to address key market needs and trends in the processing and use of rich, as-built point cloud data from high definition laser scanning technology. According to the firm the package can help reduce laser scanning project costs, including office time, allowing projects to use more scans and higher scan densities.
  • Milling efficiently with machine control
    July 11, 2018
    A contractor in the Netherlands has found that using Topcon’s latest machine control technology can deliver higher quality work at higher productivity The firm, Van Gelder, was looking for a solution to survey, mill and resurface a 7km length of the N518 to the island of Marken more quickly, more safely and more accurately. Together with Infra-Techniek, the company opted to use the latest package developed by Topcon for automatic milling. The N518 from Monnickendam is the only connecting road to the form