Bluesky Announces European Expansion Plans

Leicestershire, UK, 02 October 2014 – Aerial mapping company Bluesky has announced it is expanding its aerial photography acquisition programme beyond the UK to include The Republic of Ireland. This new flying programme will see dedicated survey planes based in Ireland from the beginning of April 2015, simultaneously capturing high resolution aerial photography and Colour Infrared imagery. Bluesky’s 70,000 sq km expansion programme will be officially launched at the Intergeo event; the conference and trade fair for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management, being held in Berlin 7-9 October 2014 and the GIS Ireland Conference held in Dublin on the 16th October 2014.

“Our experience in nationwide data capture programmes, gained over the last fifteen years in the UK, combined with a dedicated sales team based in Ireland, places Bluesky in a great position for this new and exciting venture,” commented Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Leicestershire based Bluesky International. “We are also extremely pleased with the interest in our product range and support for our plans that has already been received and expressed by a range of organisations throughout Ireland.”

Bluesky will capture high resolution aerial photography and Colour Infrared imagery for the whole of The Republic of Ireland during the summer months of 2015. Planes equipped with the latest Vexcel cameras will operate out of multiple flying bases, including Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Knock and Donegal, to ensure maximum optimisation of all flying opportunities.

Products from the Bluesky data capture will include 25 cm resolution coverage for the whole country with 12.5 cm resolution data for selected urban areas. In addition a national Digital Terrain Model and Digital Surface Model will be created. Following the creation of these four core datasets Bluesky will also produce other derived products such as a detailed National Tree Map, 3D Building Models and a SolAR mapping product which identifies roofs suitable for solar panels. These datasets will be available in a variety of GIS ready formats as well as online at Bluesky’s Mapshop.

Bluesky is an expert in the capture of remotely sensed data and the production of innovative geographic data products. Bluesky recently launched to market the first ever detailed National Tree Map of England and Wales, is providing technical lead in a European Commission funded project into a web based renewable energy rating platform and has close ties with the University of Leicester working to develop solutions for air quality mapping and night time aerial surveys. In addition, in partnership with Getmapping, Bluesky has recently been awarded a multi-million pound contract for the supply of geographic data to UK Central Government organisations.

About Bluesky
Bluesky is a UK-based specialist in aerial survey including aerial photography, LiDAR and thermal data using the very latest survey technology, including an UltraCam Eagle and an Orion M300 LiDAR system. An internationally recognised leader with projects extending around the globe, Bluesky is proud to work with prestigious organisations such as Google, the BBC and Government Agencies. Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography and maintains national “off the shelf” coverage of aerial photography, DTM and DSM through an on-going 3 year update programme. By purchasing a World first sensor for the simultaneous capture of LiDAR, Thermal and Aerial Photography data Bluesky is in the enviable position of being able to provide customers with unique and cost effective solutions. Bluesky is also leading the way in developing innovative solutions for environmental applications including the UK’s first National Tree Map (NTM), solar mapping and citywide ‘heat loss’ maps and is currently developing noise and air quality mapping products. www.bluesky-world.com