The London Borough of Harrow has given its staff access to a digital twin of the borough using high definition, street level imagery and LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data on its geographic information system.
It has been working with its GIS provider Esri UK and its partner Cyclomedia on developing a full 3D digital representation of the local environment that can be viewed alongside other geospatial data covering features such as street furniture and the sites of planning applications.
Esri said this will support staff in Harrow’s planning, highways and council tax teams, and that they can use analysis tools within the system to determine likely consequences of decisions. It cited the example of being able to determine where shadows may fall from future buildings.
Cyclomedia provided the street data, including from streets not previously covered, from its fleet of 100 megapixel camera cars.
Sam Tizzard, Harrow’s head of GIS, said: “High resolution, current and time stamped imagery along with LiDAR data gives us a reliable digital twin of the borough that we can trust, vital in carrying out effective management, maintenance and planning.
“It also helps to dramatically reduce site visits, which is essential as new hybrid working methods evolve to help keep staff and the public safe due to Covid-19.”
Image from Esri
