Below are listed just a few examples of some of the consultancy / bespoke development projects that we get involved in.
Web based development projects
General consultancy
Desktop developments
Contract: Develop Interactive mapping for "Mapping European Seabed habitats"
Client: Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
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The MESH project gathered large amounts of marine habitat data from a number of European partners. This was then standardised to produce a unified seabed habitat map using the best data available for each area.
We were asked to produce the web mapping for this project using open source Mapserver software. There was also considerable consultancy on data handling and preparation.
www.searchmesh.net
Further information from James Perrins.
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Web-based Mapping
We have recently completed a number of projects using the mapping available from Google (www.maps.google.co.uk) or Microsoft© Virtual Earth™ (www.maps.live.com). Both services are similar and offer free use of their mapping (with the likelihood
of advertising being added in the future) providing that websites using their mapping are publicly available. There are options for
paid service level agreements if you want to guarantee to avoid advertising, or if you need to restrict access.
The great thing about these services is that they offer road mapping combined with aerial photography, making putting your mapping data on the web more affordable than ever by avoiding large hosting and map data licensing costs. Although we have used both services, we have focussed on Microsoft’s VE service for the simple reason that they presently have better detailed aerial imagery for areas outside of cities.
How do I display my data over the background maps?
There are a couple of ways that data can be displayed onto the background maps and the most appropriate method really depends on the type and volume of your data. It’s possible to display points (or simple boundaries) by displaying them as a layer within your browser. We adopted this approach in the WIMBY project for Scottish Natural Heritage, where species records were returned by the National Biodiversity Network gateway and then displayed over Google map data. This is great for low volumes of data as it gives a nice interactive feel to the data – but as the objects are being rendered in layers in your browser, there is a limit of about 200 objects before your browser will start to grind a bit.
For higher volumes of data we use WMS (Web Mapping Services) to serve out a layer of data that can then be overlain on background mapping. This works well with large volume datasets as all that is arriving at the client browser is a transparent image of the data layer. This is the system we adopted for the London Access Management (LAMS) project described below. Using either system users can get additional information, and access to hyperlinks, thumbnail images etc by clicking on a map object of interest.
Why would anyone ever pay for their own hosted mapping if they can use this?
The above solutions are an enormous step forward and have certainly made mapping datasets possible for many individuals and organisations that could never have afforded it before, but there are times when your own server based solution and use of Ordnance Survey map data for instance can be preferable. Please call us if you would like to know more or to understand what the best solution is for your web mapping requirement.
Contract: The London Access Management System
Client: Walk London
Late in 2006 we were asked if we could survey several hundreds of kilometres of walking trails across London, provide the results in a bespoke asset management system and publish the results live through a map based, web interface. A few months later our first surveyors were in the field and LAMS – the ‘London Access Management System’ was coming on line.
Using the exeGesIS ’Path Surveyor’ application, the survey team captured data on 24,000 features with 15,000 images. LAMS
has a desktop component allowing trail managers to undertake detailed analysis and reporting and an advanced web viewer application based on Microsoft’s© Virtual Earth™ (VE). This project brings together the functionality and power of desktop MapInfo, the outstanding map and aerial imagery resources of the VE platform and an open source development environment to offer a very cost efficient solution.
The next step in the project is to integrate the LAMS web application into the Walk London website, allowing users highly flexible searches with information returned as maps, text and images – and even perhaps an option to use the 3D fly through capabilities of VE.
Further information is available from Jon Young or visit the Walk London website
Contract: Produce an IT development plan
Client: Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre
Hampshire’s natural heritage embraces a rich diversity of habitats and species, many of which are listed in the UK and Hampshire Biodiversity Action Plans. Information on these habitats and species are held in a variety of formats by an equally diverse range of organisations and individuals, much of it inaccessible to the residents of Hampshire and beyond. The Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre Partnership wanted to mobilise this information and make it more widely available. It would also like to encourage greater participation in the recording of Hampshire’s wildlife and engage more people with biodiversity at a variety of levels.
The production of an IT development plan was required before a full bid could be made to the Heritage Grants Programme.
The work involved liaising with a wide range of contributors all with their own perspective and the production of a workable costed plan to a tight deadline.
Further information from James Perrins.
Contract: Production of Management plans
Client: National Trust - Northern Ireland
A set of 20 management plans for some of Northern Ireland's top sites like the Giant's Causeway were produced for the National Trust in conjunction with Allen Mellon Environmental. This was done through a series of workshops with wardening staff in which the site features were identified, all the factors affecting the features, the monitoring required and the management projects were all worked out. The final product was handed over in CMS7 giving the managers a working tool to record their data as well as the management plans and training was also provided to the site managers.
Further Information from David Mitchel
Contract: Vegetated Shingle Inventory
Client: Natural England
exeGesIS was recently commissioned to build a 'vegetated shingle' inventory for Natural England – the Government's advisor on the conservation of the natural environment and its enjoyment. This was a large project, building up a national scale dataset. Our consultants, in partnership with habitat specialists have been able to bring together existing partial data, aerial photography interpretation and paper based reports to provide the client with the information they need to monitor and conserve this important but often overlooked coastal habitat.
Further information from James Perrins.
Contract: Species and Management Recording Database
Client: Herpetological Conservation Trust
ESDM were commissioned by the Herpetological Conservation Trust (HCT) to help them design and develop a database / GIS system for recording all their species sightings and for documenting their ongoing management work. They already had Microsoft Access and MapInfo, so using our MapLink product we were able to undertake a rapid and highly cost effective development for them to tight timetables. The project involved designing and developing the application, migrating existing data across and helping them setup their existing GIS data in a more maintainable structure.
Further information from James Perrins.
Contract: Habitat Data Entry Tool
Client: English Nature
English Nature identified the need to ensure that their spatial datasets, that may be prepared by a range of different staff and contractors, could be amalgamated quickly and efficiently. In particular, data attributes of GIS datasets needed to be captured in a standardised way.
The requirement that was met by exeGesIS was to develop data input and verification software that could be run from within the user's standard GIS interface. Initial trials of the tool were well received by users and the system is now in widespread use. Support and training for the system continues to be provided by exeGesIS.
Further information from Bill Price.
Contract: Web-based mapping for recreational trails
Client: Thames Path / Leap Frog Communications Ltd
The placing of public rights and way and recreational trails data into the public domain using web technology is a key development area for exeGesIS and we were pleased to work with web site design company 'Leap Frog' to deliver an interactive mapping based web site for the Thames Path.
Using MapXtreme GIS hosted by exeGesIS, visitors to the site are able to view and interrogate fully formatted and scalable maps of the Thames Path to show information and images, accessibility information and best routing options along the whole path.
Built using ASP.NET and MapXtreme for Windows 3.0 the system is extensible, easy to maintain and has several innovative capabilities.
Further information contact Tony Pettitt.
Contract: The National Pond Monitoring Network
Client: The Pond Conservation Trust
The Pond Conservation Trust commissioned exeGesIS to undertake this project with the following objectives:
- Develop a database to provide standard storage and management of data regarding survey and monitoring of ponds
- Recruit information from partners who manage information of relevance to ponds in the UK
- Create an inventory of ponds in the UK
- Enable the collection of pond information ‘online’ from members of the public
- Present pond information online
Further information can be obtained from http://www.pondnetwork.org.uk
Contract: The River Basin Management Planning System
Client: Countryside Council for Wales (CCW)
The EU Water Framework Directive imposed important new obligations on authorities to consider the environamental presures on aquatic habitats and species. As a result of this, CCW awarded a contract to exeGesIS to build a tool to collate, analyse and present relevant data, thus simplifying the consultation process that the Directive required. The result was the River Basin Management Planning System (RBPMS): an integrated MapInfo Professional and web-based mapping tool.
The RBMPS enabled CCW officers to use their existing desktop mapping system (MapInfo) with an additional interface that facilitated the sharing and transfer of data. The project also incorporated a web site, enabling many different datasets from different sources to be drawn together and interrogated. Data was output in the form of graphs, maps and text.
For further information contact Tony Pettitt.
The RBMS details interface and one of the thematic maps produced from it.
Contract: Greenspace Mapping
Client: Countryside Council for Wales (CCW)
Greenspaces are the 'green lungs' of our towns and cities. They contribute to improving people's physical and mental health by providing places for informal recreation. Ensuring all communities have adequate provision is high on the agenda and a range of ‘target standards’ have been prepared. For example, ‘every household should have some form of natural and accessible greenspace within 400m’.
Working with a number of local authorities, under a project led by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and part funded by the Heads of the Valleys Regeneration Programme, exeGesIS were able to build comprehensive and consistent greenspace datasets - making good use of MasterMap data, aerial imagery and workshops with authority staff. This dataset was used to assess whether the target standards were met.
Network analysis techniques were employed to ensure the shortest walking distances from every postcode area, to the nearest greenspace could be identified and measured.
The results showed that whilst the total area of greenspace in the region was generally high, it often wasn’t near to, or accessible from the residential areas. Because of this even in the best served area, some 25% of the population fell outside the 400m target.
Further information about the Greenspace project can be found here