Sky’s the limit as aerial mapping firm extends Government contract

Ashby-based aerial mapping company Bluesky International has been awarded a contract extension from the Geospatial Commission to continue to supply aerial photography, 3D height models and Colour Infrared imagery to public sector organisations across the UK.

The initial contract, branded as Aerial Photography Great Britain (APGB), was first signed by Bluesky and consortium partner Getmapping in 2018.

It was designed to enable 4500 UK local authorities, emergency services, environmental bodies and central government departments to access high quality aerial data.

Bluesky has already delivered over 22 million sq km of data to over 2000 public organisations under the contract.

The extension will run until March 2024.

Rachel Tidmarsh, managing director at Bluesky International, said: “There is currently a high demand for high quality location data, so we are really pleased the Geospatial Commission has awarded the contract extension which will benefit central government departments, local authorities, emergency services and other public sector organisations at a time when resources are stretched.

“And, as our data is updated on a three-year rolling flying programme, the public sector will continue to have immediate access to the very latest information.

“With must-reach environmental targets in place to achieve net zero, geospatial data has an important role to play in supporting these organisations understand, analyse and plan for change, meaning they can make decisions and policies based on valuable data-derived insight.”