Structural engineering firm, Craddy Pitchers Davidson, has completed a
flood risk assessment and drainage strategy essential for a planning
application for a £40m development project, using Environment Agency LiDAR Digital Terrain
Model data from Landmark Information Group’s Promap service.
The team at Craddy Pitchers Davidson overcome a hurdle of not being able to
physically survey the land due to ecological constraints by instead accessing
LiDAR data, which is a fraction of the cost of a topographic survey, and was
completed in two days, compared to several weeks.
Simon Pitchers, Director of Craddy Pitchers Davidson confirmed: “In order
to progress the planning application, we needed to produce a flood risk
assessment and a drainage strategy, both of which require a good understanding
of site levels. However, with protected species identified on the site,
dense vegetation could not be removed and physical topographic surveying to
establish levels was not possible. We contacted Landmark’s Promap
team and were advised about EA LiDAR Digital Terrain Model data. This
really saved the day. The EA LiDAR data is accurate to +/-5cm to 15cm, which
was perfectly adequate for our initial needs, plus it was delivered in just two
days and for £150.”
LiDAR is a remote sensing technology that measures distance by
illuminating a target with a laser and analysing the reflected light. Via
Promap, high accuracy mass-capture datasets are available in a range of
resolutions and formats, including Digital Terrain Models. This provides a
topographic model of the underlying terrain of the earth's surface, which is derived
by digitally removing the cultural (man-made) and vegetation features of a
given area. The Environment Agency LiDAR data has an accuracy of +/-5cm to 15cm, with the
spatial resolutions ranging from 25cm to 2 metres and are suitable for a range
of environmental applications, including flood risk assessment.
Continues Simon Pitchers: “Not being able to undertake the physical site
survey had the potential to delay the entire project. Without it we
simply couldn’t completed the planning application. Now, if ever we need to
undertake a basic initial appraisal of a site before commissioning the full
topographic survey, we will be using EA LiDAR data again. While it doesn’t
replace physical surveys, it gives us a great insight into a plot without
visiting, which is ideal if it is far away for example. LiDAR data is a
great discovery; it’s not expensive, provides a good level of accuracy and as
far as I see it, it’s a real advantage for us and our customers.”
Carole Ankers, Product Development Director, Landmark Information Group
said, “When faced with an obstacle of having to undertake a flood risk
assessment and drainage strategy on a densely overgrown 40 acre site, with
ecological constraints, the team at Craddy Pitchers Davidson needed to find an
alternative option. Our EA LiDAR datasets are accurate, quick to produce and
are extremely cost effective. Instead of paying thousands for a physical
survey, LiDAR is available from £100 and can be relied upon for many purposes.
We are pleased to have been able to help the team progress with this important
development project.”
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