Aerial mapping company Bluesky has launched a new online Mapshop to serve the rapidly expanding mapping and geographic information industry in Ireland. With tens of thousands of square kilometres of new data available to view and download, this is the largest and most up to date collection of geographic information focused on a market with an estimated total economy-wide impact value of €126.4 million. Offering aerial photography, colour infrared data and digital height models, the new Bluesky Ireland Mapshop www.irelandmaps.ie allows visitors to define their areas of interest with polygon drawing and editing tools, allowing users to purchase only the exact data they require.
“The amount of data and the functionality on offer makes the new Bluesky Mapshop a first for Ireland,” commented Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky. “Other resources simply do not offer the same range of products, resolution, quality, currency and value for money that we are able to provide.”
Since 2014, Bluesky has been dedicated to capturing the most up to date, high resolution aerial photography for the whole of the Republic of Ireland. At the close of the 2016 flying season, Bluesky had captured nearly 25,000 square kilometres of 25cm resolution aerial photography, including coverage of Carlow, Cavan, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Roscommon, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow. Higher resolution – 12.5 cm – data is also available for urban areas, including Sligo, Limerick, New Ross, Enniscorthy, Gorey and Wexford town.
In addition to the aerial photography, Bluesky is offering colour infrared (CIR) data, which provides a valuable tool for studies in vegetation extent and health, and other effects of human activity on the earth and its environment. Detailed height models, Digital Terrain Models (DTM) and Digital Surface Models (DSM), are also available at 2 metre and 1 metre resolutions respectively.
The new Bluesky Mapshop for Ireland www.irelandmaps.ie is easy to use, with visitors able to search for their areas of interest by coordinate or by place name, in both Irish and English spelling. Professional users can also upload GIS files, such as ESRI .shp and KMZ files, to identify their areas of interest. The preview window automatically displays a standard resolution aerial image of the chosen location; however, users can choose higher resolution imagery if available or select from the other geographic data products on offer. Purchasing of data is simple, straightforward and secure by credit card, with account options also available. Data can be purchased with a range of easy to understand licence options, and can even be purchased on behalf of a third party with the option of a Sub Contractor Licence.
