Mapping Services
In recognition of the diverse range of techniques we employ and types of map products we generate we have implemented the use of Flash video and Flash slideshows to highlight our web services.
Our mapping services cover three main areas of activity:
Cartography
We employ GIS and a range of graphic software to design and produce high quality cartographic products based upon client and 3rd party data and materials. Our production techniques are derived from years of practical experience in both traditional and digital cartography. These techniques are deployed to establish efficient and cost-effective methods for maintaining and updating digital maps and related spatial data on behalf of our clients.
We specialise in designing and generating cartographic quality mapping from numerous source materials that have often never been structured in a spatial or mapping context. Our clients maintain spatial and non-spatial data in a wide variety of systems in numerous formats and use our services to integrate these datasets into cartographic formats that make easier to understand and access by their intended audience.
Given the diversity of our client base and their data formats we use a range of software products to help assimilate and structure data into formats suitable for cartographic enhancement and high quality output in print and electronic formats. We can also source the most appropriate 3rd party digital mapping and other spatial imagery to incorporate with our client's data to optimise the look and content of map products derived from our cartographic production systems.
Our cartographic production system incorporates the following software:
- ESRI ArcInfo and ArcView
- MapInfo
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Avenza MAPublisher
- Various bespoke translators for reformatting client and 3rd party data
GIS Mapping
We have extensive experience of creating, managing and implementing map and spatial data for use in GIS. Our skills range from data capture and database construction through to project based desk top studies and consultancy.
The majority of our GIS work is project-based. Clients retain us to provide practical and consultative expertise in creating, managing, maintaining and updating digital mapping and spatial data that is generated as part of a project's required deliverables. Often the data itself is the only project deliverable (e.g. data capture projects). Examples of GIS and digital mapping projects include:
- Flood mapping and related databases
- Flood emergency planning
- UK and International on shore and off shore geological mapping
- Postcode and locational databases
- Address Matching
- Forestry and vegetation mapping
- Rights of Way
- Road Adoption
- In car navigation systems
- Local Plan and LDF Mapping
- PAI resolution
- Data Capture
- Data and Digital Mapping consultancy
- Database management and training
Our GIS project work has been undertaken for clients working in a broad range of disciplines and market sectors. These sectors include:
- Environmental
- Geoscientific
- Planning
- Transportation and Routing
- Insurance
- Recruitment
- Retail
Common to all our GIS Projects is a requirement from our clients for GIS to be used as the primary hub for the collation, assimilation and management of spatial data and digital mapping.
Web Mapping
Our web mapping services extend beyond just the design and production of maps for the Internet. It also includes the design and implementation of browser based interactive map viewers and multi-functional websites built around your data and documents as well as fully hosted services for websites, content management systems and the implementation of business to business ftp servers.
The design and production of maps for the Web is a natural extension of our Cartographic and GIS mapping services. We do not use GIS for the direct delivery of mapping to the web, preferring to develop maps and map delivery systems for our clients using web-specific tools and applications in addition to our own in-house programming skills.
This approach – to not use a GIS for web mapping - is a reflection of our proven experience in deriving high quality cartographic mapping from data maintained by clients in a wide variety of software and systems. It is also a reflection of our commitment to open source standards and sustainable solutions that are cost-effective and accessible to both clients and their end users through a standard web browser.
We can generate cartographic quality mapping:
- as static images (e.g. JPEG, GIF, PNG);
- as dynamically rendered images from server-based vector or raster data
- that is fully interactive;
- that can be displayed with any spatial or geo-referenced data supplied by our clients
- that can be searched by address-based data
- that can be searched by map feature
- that can be linked to documents and other types of media
Our standard web mapping and map delivery systems:
- require no software installation
- require no downloads or plug-ins
- require only a standard web browser connected to the Internet
Many of our solutions for web mapping incorporate the use of our hosted Content Management Systems (CMS) for maps and documents. Our CMS have been designed to allow client data to be efficiently and cost-effectively incorporated into the websites we design and produce on their behalf. A CMS provides an intuitive and easy-to-use server-based platform with which to upload, update and expand the map and document content of a client's website. Multiple websites and map delivery solutions can be implemented via our CMS with any one client able to deliver as many map-based websites as they require to meet their corporate and end user requirements.
As with our standard web mapping and map delivery systems our CMS:
- require no software installation
- require no downloads or plug-ins
- require only a standard web browser connected to the Internet
Once a website has been implemented via our CMS our clients can choose to maintain the content of the website themselves via our licence agreement. The licence provides them with direct access to the CMS and all data and content that has been incorporated via the CMS. Features of the CMS include the:
- direct upload and updating of data (map layers) from client's GIS;
- ability to cartographically style each map layer;
- ability to set viewing scales for map layers;
- ability to make map layers visible or invisible;
- ability to transfer documents from Word into an editable document database;
- automatic 2-way linking of map data to document database
