Hartley Wintney, UK, September 29, 2011 - Getmapping which has been pioneering WMS (Web Mapping Service) services in Britain is now the force behind the AeroGRID consortium’s provision of Pan-European Imagery via WMS. AeroGRID’s WMS imagery hosted by Getmapping now includes over 2 million km² of 12.5cm to 50cm resolution imagery of Europe including the whole of Benelux, Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.
Getmapping hosts AeroGRID Pan-European imagery plus its own extensive archive of UK aerial photography and the complete range of Ordnance Survey digital mapping at all scales down to MasterMap. It also hosts the latest Ordnance Survey OpenData.
Increasingly popular, WMS is a standard protocol for streaming georeferenced map imagery over the Internet to web based applications, GIS and CAD software. WMS feeds load only the imagery that a user actually needs to see rather than a whole dataset, which can often result in lengthy load times or delays when panning and zooming. Aerial photography which is a large dataset can put a heavy strain on a network especially when it is being accessed by many users at the same time. Having an external source available through WMS reduces network load and the costs associated with data storage, update and management. WMS is supported by all major GIS and CAD software vendors and is compatible with browser based applications and services.
“Managing large datasets like Pan-European imagery or Ordnance Survey mapping requires considerable resource, not only the servers to host them but also the software and manpower to manage the regular updates. By taking a WMS feed, organisations that are heavy users of mapping such as Local Authorities, Utilities and web application service providers can be sure of fast, cost effective access to the latest versions of the data, without the overhead” said Dave Horner Managing Director of Getmapping.
About Getmapping Plc
Getmapping Plc is a leading provider of aerial photography, digital mapping and web based services. With offices in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire and Cape Town, South Africa, Getmapping was the first company to have up to date nationwide coverage of Britain and pioneered online delivery of aerial photography to business and the public at large. A reseller of professional mapping, oblique photography, height data, OS maps and third party aerial photography, Getmapping services a wide variety of markets including press and media, local authorities, property and construction, environmental consultants and the public. It also provides a number of value added mapping products and services tailored to specific client needs including data hosting, online data delivery and web-based GIS. A pioneer of many online products through its website, Getmapping is the only company currently re-flying the whole of the UK at enhanced 12.5cm resolution.
About AeroGRID
AeroGRID is a one-stop-shop for archived aerial imagery providing speedy access to aerial photography from over 50 countries with off-the-shelf high resolution satellite orthophotos for many others. By marshalling an impressive network of partner’s survey aircraft and high resolution digital cameras AeroGRID is able to extend coverage around the world. Much of this extensive image library is now available via WMS with WFS metadata, the standard protocols for streaming georeferenced data over the Internet to web based applications, GIS and CAD software.