Christmas Wishes from Promap

With only a few working days to go until Christmas, we wanted to send you a note to firstly wish you, your colleagues and families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  Also, here is a reminder of our business opening hours over the festive period: 

  

Tuesday              24-Dec  9am – 1:30pm

Wednesday        25-Dec  Closed

Thursday             26-Dec  Closed

Friday                  27-Dec  Normal working hours

Monday               30-Dec  Normal working hours

Tuesday              31-Dec  9am – 1:30pm

Wednesday        01-Jan   Closed

Thursday             02-Jan   Normal working hours

Should you require any support outside of business hours, you can access our support pages and FAQs here: http://promap.zendesk.com/home

Many thanks for your support during 2013 – we look forward to working with you again in 2014!

Landmark launches University Lecture Programme

Landmark Information Group has launched a University Lecture Programme across the UK, to provide MSc and MBA Real Estate students with an insight into the range of digital mapping datasets that are available in today’s commercial world, and to support property or land-related projects that are underway as part of their courses. 

Lectures have taken place at Oxford Brookes University this week, whereby students from its Real Estate & Construction Department attended the session to trial the web-based Promap® digital mapping application.  

By using the tool, students were able to access Ordnance Survey mapping, plus a wide range of additional datasets, which will support them in the analysis of their course development projects, which are based on hypothetical development sites across the country. 

Carole Ankers, Product Development Director at Landmark Information Group said: “We have launched our University Lecture Programme to provide students who are studying topics related to real estate, construction or land development with direct access to our Promap digital mapping application. By doing so, they benefit from first-hand experience of the system which is widely used by architects, surveyors, developers and other related professionals.  Plus, all students receive a certificate to confirm that they have used the system during their degree course and passed the project, which can be emphasised when seeking future employment.”

The lecture at Oxford Brookes University is the third visit orchestrated by Landmark, which has been well received by students and staff as Nick French, Professor in Real Estate at Oxford Brookes University confirms: “We always want our students to have as much practical experience as possible. It is important that they develop their skills and knowledge of systems used by property professionals, to help prepare them for a career after university.”

For any universities interested in joining the Promap University Lecture Programme, please contact Paul Marshall on 07798 611 121 or email Paul.Marshall@landmark.co.uk. 

Architects Journal: “40 per cent of architects using wrong maps”

According to research carried out by Ordnance Survey, 40 per cent of land and property professionals, including civil engineers, architects, property lawyers, surveyors and developers, could be using out of date or unlicensed mapping information in their work.  In a news report published by the Architects Journal, it stated that as a result they “risk being sued by using unlicensed or out of date maps.”

In addition to this, the research found that approximately 45 per cent of all maps submitted with planning applications were also unlicensed or incorrectly displayed.   

The research was carried out as part of Ordnance Survey’s ‘Unlicensed Data’ campaign, which is designed to encourage land and property professionals to check that they are licensed and up-to-date when using OS location data.

Using online mapping services, such as Promap, remove unknown and unlicensed data fears for all property professionals.

We manage the accuracy and currency of the maps so users can quickly get what they need and not add any unnecessary risk or delay to the planning process.  By using the wrong maps, it could ultimately lead to breach of copyright, create delays and result in potential disputes with clients.

In our view, if property professionals are accessing unlicensed mapping data, they are not only running the risk of potential litigation, but may be basing drawings or planning applications on inaccurate data, which may negatively impact on the wider project and not to mention the information recorded in BIM.

http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/about/news/2013/dont-lose-way-with-incorrect-mapping.html

The Spooks Have Taken Over Promap Labs!

Things have become a little spooky over at Landmark Information Group’s Promap Labs portal as Halloween approaches!  Ghosts have taken over the Promap View tool and created a ‘spookmap’ of a particularly eerie town. The map shows the ‘risk of bewitchment’, presence of ‘ectoplasm’, pumpkin farming sites and ghost sightings!

A competition has been launched to create a name for this spooky city. All ideas will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win a Lego Haunted House set worth £149.99.  To enter visit http://labs.promap.co.uk/ – entries close by 11:59pm on Friday 1 November – so be quick!

The ‘spookmap’ has been based on the Promap Labs View tool, which provides the ability to easily view a wide range of data in one single map interface. It is designed to provide a simple way to quickly view a location and understand what environmental factors may affect it, without needing to be a Geographical Information expert.  This can include identifying HSE explosive sites, to identifying existing national park zones.

Introducing the new Promap service:

While you’re visiting Promap Labs portal, why not also take a look at the new Promap service, which enables you to export Ordnance Survey (MasterMap) detailed maps for use in your CAD or GIS software using multiple browsers*, Mac or mobile devices.

More details can be found here:  http://labs.promap.co.uk/promap-multibrowser-mac-and-mobile

* Browsers: Google Chrome v28 or higher, Internet Explorer v10 or higher, Safari 6 or higher, Firefox 23 or higher 

Introducing Promap Labs

We are very excited to today launch Promap Labs; a new online portal that gives architects, surveyors and land or property developers the ability to test brand new digital mapping product concepts before they are launched to the market.

The Promap Labs portal showcases new beta mapping datasets and applications that can be tested before they are fully launched. This enables clients to contribute valuable feedback or suggest new ideas, for future development. 

The first new application to feature on Promap Labs is ‘Promap Labs View’; this provides the ability to easily view a wide range of data in one single map interface. Examples include natural environment data such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) sites.  It is designed to provide a simple way to quickly view a location and understand what environmental factors may affect it, without needing to be a Geographical Information expert.

Visitors to Promap Labs will also have an early preview of the new multi-browser, multi-device Promap digital mapping service, which is scheduled to launch next month.

Carole Ankers, Product Development Director, Landmark Information Group said, “Promap Labs offers our clients and the wider property and land development community the opportunity to access brand new digital datasets or services, before they are fully launched. It provides early access to new and innovative ideas so they can be tested and reviewed – this includes first sight of our new multi-browser and multi-device Promap service, which is set to launch very soon.  We believe it is important to work in collaboration with the industry when developing new digital mapping tools and datasets, and the Promap Labs portal provides a fantastic platform for us to do this. ”

Dan Hughes, Sector Manager of Land and Property at Ordnance Survey: “Promap Labs is a great concept. It provides the industry with access to new digital mapping innovations and a platform from which ideas and feedback can be openly shared, paving the way for future product development. We are fully behind new innovation in our industry and so we applaud Landmark for delivering this by introducing Promap Labs.”

Adds Carole Ankers: “The first application to be showcased on Promap Labs is Promap Labs View: we encourage as many people as possible to visit Promap Labs and test out the new concepts.  We welcome feedback, so please let us know what you like about it, would change or how you might use it. We’ve made it as easy as possible to post your comments and we look forward to receiving as much feedback as possible!”

To access Promap Labs visit: http://labs.promap.co.uk.  

Nine out of ten AJ100 practices rely on Landmark for digital mapping, property and environmental risk reports

We are pleased to today reveal that 92% of the prestigious AJ100 – the annual league table of the largest architectural practices in the UK – have been working with Landmark during the last three years to source property due diligence reporting or digital mapping tools for use in feasibility studies, planning applications or to analyse the suitability of a site for development purposes.

The AJ100 remains the authoritative survey of the UK’s largest architecture practices – based on the number of qualified ARB-registered architects employed. Almost 26,000 people work in the organisations included in the league table, and as such, it provides a wealth of information that architectural practices of all sizes can benchmark themselves against, including the AJ100 salary guide and an average fee scale.

Carole Ankers, Product Development Director, Landmark Information Group said, “The AJ100 is considered the ‘who’s who’ in the UK’s architectural industry and is a great way for firms of all sizes to analyse trends in the sector.  When reviewing the latest league table, we are very proud to see that of the 105 listed, 102 are registered customers of Landmark, of which 97 have been working with us on a regular basis to access the wide range of digital mapping and environmental risk data for site surveys, feasibility studies and planning applications; this includes nineteen of the top twenty.”

Working closely with data providers including Ordnance Survey, the Environment Agency, the Coal Authority and the British Geological Survey enables Landmark to offer current and historical environmental risk management information and desktop mapping solutions to architects, surveyors, developers and the wider property industry.  This includes Promap, which delivers access to digital OS maps, 3D models, height data, aerial photography and geo-data, including environmental, planning and geological reports to identify potential site issues.

The AJ100 analysis is authored by Professor Bruce Tether, professor of innovation management and strategy at Manchester Business School.

To find out more about the AJ100, visit http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/aj100-2013/. 

Promap Plug-In for AutoCAD 2014 launches

We have today launched a free AutoCAD 2014 plug-in, which simplifies the process of integrating digitised Ordnance Survey MasterMap data directly from Promap into the popular CAD application.

Within the AutoCAD 2014 environment, users can now access the ‘Promap Data Services’ plug-in to digitise their area of interest using Bing Maps, and from this, request pricing for purchasing Ordnance Survey’s MasterMap. Once the file format and gridlines have been confirmed, the required dataset is then downloaded directly into AutoCAD for immediate use.

Carole Ankers, Product Development Director, Landmark Information Group said, “For anyone looking to incorporate accurate OS mapping into their AutoCAD projects, the new Promap plug-in creates a seamless and simple way of doing this. Within a few clicks, accurate topography data can be integrated within the CAD system, saving time. We have developed this in response to our clients’ feedback and so are pleased to launch the new plug-in today.”

The ‘Promap Data Services’ plug-in is available for PC users and can be downloaded from today via http://labs.promap.co.uk/new-promap-for-autocad.  

The plug-in is available free of charge.