I managed to get all of it ! A big step towards a 3D future for...

I managed to get all of it !

A big step towards a 3D future for construction

By Jan Arreza, Monday 25 June 2018

Nearmap's highly detailed visual and topographical content is set to significantly impact the construction industry - particularly in areas like planning and monitoring of individual sites - and takes a big step towards a 3D future with the recent roll out of oblique image capabilities, which adds an accurate 'height' dimension to its images.

Measurable oblique imagery preview of Docklands in Melbourne.
Nearmap simplifies construction planning with detailed and precise site information, delivered to a client's desktop via high-resolution PhotoMaps technology. This allows client to map, measure, monitor and quickly share the progress of a build with all of its stakeholders.
The aerial imagery company regularly takes high quality aerial captures of over 88% of urban Australia, as well as New Zealand and USA, which results in the company having a historical library of aerial images that can be used to see change since the past, monitor the present, and predict trends for the future.
Nearmap's executive vice president of sales Shane Preston says the company really got going back in 2007 when they noticed a gap in the market and started with the notion that regularly updated and amazingly clear aerial imagery should be available to every business, agency and government.
"Prior to Nearmap, this kind of aerial imagery content was really only in the domain of those with a big budget and with the time to do it, and because it was so difficult and time consuming and expensive, people that did do it rarely updated their aerial imagery," Preston said.
"Before Nearmap, you had to go and contract someone to fly you out to your area of interest, and once all of that is done and you've taken your images you would still need to wait for them to process it, before shipping it over to you around three to six months later.
"We thought if we just flew out ourselves to take our own high-resolution images and update our content direct to our customers desktops (up to six times a year), then we can solve those problem relating to the delay and the cost of undertaking this."
Nearmap has been capturing the landscape to accumulate a stock of high-resolution aerial images since 2009. Since then they been providing timely, accurate and reliable information for client's to use to make detailed inspections and confident decisions about a site that can make or break a project without having to be physically present.
Today, hundreds of published surveys, which cover hundreds of thousands of square kilometres, are readily available to subscribers to compare before and after images for critical events, track seasonal changes, or monitor the rate of progress across a development.
"Nearmap has made that more broadly available to the market, and that's why we have so many Australian construction companies working with us - from the country's largest construction engineering companies, all the way down to very small businesses and sole traders - to help them improve on their efficiencies and decision-making," Preston said.
"Companies that choose to work with Nearmap are organisations that are innovative and are looking to grow. They are focused on creating a better customer experience for its clients, and want to create a more efficient and more profitable businesses.
"Communication with stakeholders is critically important so companies embed Nearmap in all different stages of their project's development lifecycle - from the planning and early concept development stage, to when they are developing a proposal, through the costing phase when they are quoting and estimating, or for monitoring and validating a project once it is awarded."
According to Preston, what's really amazing about Nearmap is the depth of IP in the business.
"We do manufacture our own camera systems and the images we take are put through our own in-house software processing pipeline, which allows us to serve up those really refreshed, crisp, high-resolution content to our customers," Preston continues.
"In terms of where we are heading, our new camera system enables us to collect content on a scale that previously have not been possible to provide for us client's 3D cityscape models to help them solve real world problems with 3D tools and content.
"Reviewing an entire city as a 3D model is critical for client's in the construction sector to better compete to win more jobs, to be able to design more effective solutions, to grow and scale their businesses a lot better, and to answer the questions that need to be answered at any stage in the development lifecycle of the constructions and engineering industry."
Preston adds that Nearmap is all about continued innovation with a real focus on making its customers as successful as possible being at the forefront of their business.
"We've long led the industry in allowing people the ability to measure distances and our new camera system enables people to actually go and measure the height of something as well," Preston continues.
"We believe that ability to measure height is unique in the industry, and our customers are telling us that it is highly valuable in eliminating an unnecessary steps during the planning and construction phases.
"3D will enable entire industries and sectors to change the way they do things, in ways that they haven't even considered before."