News

New 3D mapping uses aerial photography to enhance our world view
Wired - September 2011
LiDAR is mapping the world in precise three-dimensional detail from the air. Short for Light Detection and Ranging, LiDAR uses a laser beam to capture a digital 3D picture of a scene, such as this image of Wembley Stadium, London

Mobile Terrestrial LIDAR for Highways Management
GEO:Connexion - March 2011
To help maintain our roads and plan future improvements to the network, it is vital to have the most accurate and up-to-date information on existing road infrastructure and assets. Geomatics Group has recently undertaken a number of highways surveys utilising the very latest mobile terrestrial LIDAR technology.

SSE Renewables: LIDAR data for wind farm site selection & planning
Environment Industry Magazine - December 2010
Geomatics Group have been flying aerial LIDAR surveys, the data being used  to help with site selection, pre-planning and design of wind farms.

Mapping coastal morphological change in the UK
GEO:Connexion - November 2010
To inform coastal management projects, Environment Agency Geomatics Group use LIDAR elevation data and a variety of other remotely sensed data and GIS systems to monitor and measure coastal change.

Before the British Deluge
Professional Surveyor - September 2010
Over 5 million people in England and Wales live and work in properties that are at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. In a number of flood risk management projects, the Environment Agency's Geomatics Group used the Lynx Mobile Mapper, Optech’s mobile terrestrial lidar system, to collect data. 

Geomatics Group launch new LIDAR height data portal
May 2010
The Environment Agency’s Geomatics Group has launched a new web-based portal, allowing customers to access and purchase highly accurate elevation data online, from the group’s extensive archive of LIDAR data.

Environment Agency recreation of Cockermouth flooding
Guardian - December 2009
A 3D animation, released by the Environment Agency, which shows the extent of the flooding that devastated Cockermouth in Cumbria last month, utilising LIDAR data and digital aerial photography gathered by the Geomatics Group at the height of the flood.

Environment Agency Flood Mapping
YoutTube - December 2009
Lawrence McGinty reports on how the Environment Agency maps flood risk across the UK.

Laser maps flood-prone areas 
BBC- June 2008
Aircraft equipped with LIDAR are being used to produce maps to identify areas at risk of flooding. David Shuckman, BBC environment correspondent, takes a flight over the Warwickshire countryside to discover what the Environment Agency's Geomatics Group are doing to help tackle flooding.