Bluesky Launches Solar Mapping Marketing Service

Coalville, Leicestershire, 10 May 2012 – Aerial mapping company Bluesky has launched a new solar power marketing service that pinpoints properties with the greatest potential for solar power generation. Pre-addressed postcards sent directly to home owners show their property from the air and include predicted power generation from solar panels. These customisable mailing campaigns can be produced by Bluesky for solar panel installers, power companies and others promoting solar energy, such as local councils.

Bluesky has a unique method of calculating the potential for energy generation from solar panel installations on individual properties using their own countrywide aerial photography and 3D computer models. By combining this highly accurate geographic data with advanced georeferencing techniques Bluesky is able to produce property specific information for the mailing campaigns.

The targeted, easy to understand marketing materials highlight the potential for power generation from solar panels in an easy to understand map form. The postcard, or other mailing document, details the number and type of panels the property could accommodate and shows how the house compares to other properties in the same street.

“This is a highly cost effective way of marketing solar panels that is already proving hugely popular,” commented Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky International. “By personalising the marketing material with property specific information and imagery the recipient is far more likely to look at it in the first instance and then respond to the promotion on offer.”

Bluesky has already assessed the solar power potential of more 500,000 properties in the UK. This significant milestone was reached within a year of the launch of Bluesky’s innovative service which provides independent assessment of the potential power generation from solar panel installations on property roofs. The company, which has pioneered the mapping of solar energy potential, has also announced a project to produce a nationwide solar potential map. 

Bluesky calculates the energy potential using high resolution aerial photography combined with 3D data to determine the size, aspect and gradient of individual properties. The suitability of each roof element is then considered taking into account roof shape and other impediments such as sky lights or dormer windows, as well as potential obstructions such as neighbouring properties or trees.  


Bluesky is a UK-based specialist in aerial imaging and remote sensing data collection and processing.  An internationally recognised leader with projects extending around the globe, Bluesky is proud to work with prestigious organisations such as Google, the BBC and Government Agencies.

Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography, 3D landscape/cityscape visualisations and prints and also runs a national mapping centre, providing digital mapping, satellite imagery and aerial photography including ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns.

Bluesky is now leading the way developing innovative solutions for environmental applications including the UK’s first nationwide map of solar potential, citywide ‘heat loss’ maps, 3D maps of trees and their proximity to buildings and historical imagery.

Bluesky Streams 3D Aerial Maps Over Web

Leicestershire, UK - 17 April 2012 -  Aerial mapping company Bluesky has launched a new service streaming 3D aerial photos via the Internet. The Stereo Web Map (SWM) allows high resolution aerial images to be viewed in 3D and enables users to take height measurements from the images and digitise 3D mapping, all online. Applications of the SWM are expected to include insurance risk assessment, cartography, urban planning, construction and design, real estate and emergency response planning.

Overlapping stereo photographs from Bluesky’s own national archive of aerial imagery can be streamed directly to a user’s desktop where they can be viewed on a normal screen using anaglyph glasses, available to buy for a few pence, or, for more advanced applications, a 3D screen. The images can also be viewed on mobile devices. The 3D aerial photos can be viewed directly in a web browser or in most WMS compatible software.

Bluesky are also able to create a 3D image stream for other types of data including their own archive of historically important aerial photographs dating back to the early 1900’s, or a client’s own images, and combined with existing mapping and GIS layers.

“The Stereo Web Map takes aerial photography to the next level,” commented James Eddy, Technical Director of Bluesky International. “We are all used to being able to access 2D aerial maps through online services such as Google Earth however when you go to the next dimension a wealth of previously unavailable information becomes apparent. After all, we live in a 3D world, so we should view it that way”

“Stereo photogrammetry has been around for a long time and has been traditionally been reserved for high end applications with expensive equipment and software,” he continued. “Our Stereo Web Map service combined with the prevalence of 3D viewing devices will open up the world of 3D making it accessible to all.”

Bluesky is a UK-based specialist in aerial imaging and remote sensing data collection and processing.  An internationally recognised leader with projects extending around the globe, Bluesky is proud to work with prestigious organisations such as Google, the BBC and Government Agencies.

Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography, 3D landscape/cityscape visualisations and prints and also runs a national mapping centre, providing digital mapping, satellite imagery and aerial photography including ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns.

Bluesky is now leading the way developing innovative solutions for environmental applications including the UK’s first nationwide map of solar potential, citywide ‘heat loss’ maps, 3D maps of trees and their proximity to buildings and historical imagery.

Bluesky Blom Partnership Delivers Unique Aerial Images Online

Coalville, Leicestershire, UK - 28 March 2012 - Using a powerful online server, high resolution images of hundreds of European cities can now be streamed direct to the desktop. The partnership between two of the UK’s leading geospatial data providers – Bristol based Blom UK and Leicestershire based Bluesky, has opened up access to some of the most up to date geographic imagery including high resolution vertical photographs and oblique images. Utilising the BlomURBEX geoserver images can be viewed at the desktop and even the smallest feature can be digitised and measured.

This announcement builds on an existing relationship between the two companies that has resulted in aerial photographs captured by some of the most prestigious names in UK survey industry being made available to view and download from www.oldaerialphotos.com.

“This partnership is another step in our on-going relationship with Bluesky,” commented Dave Fox, Executive Vice-President of Operations, Blom Group. “It ensures access to some of the most up to date and accurate geospatial imagery for a new generation of applications and users.”

Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky International added, “By utilizing the BlomURBEX solution we can provide a hosted service presenting the power of vertical aerial photography to new markets and introducing oblique images to existing users.” She continued, “This is also an important development as it negates the need for in-house data management which can often be complex and costly.”

The BlomURBEX geoserver opens up access to large volumes of geographic imagery via the Internet. Streaming images at high speed with an easy to use interface, users of the hosted service can access nationwide coverage of vertical aerial photography from Bluesky’s own archive as well as stunning oblique images from the BlomOBLIQUE collection of more than 900 European cities and towns. This agreement will also allow Bluesky to resell other products from Blom including Blom3D and BlomMETRO.

Bluesky is a UK-based specialist in aerial imaging and remote sensing data collection and processing.  An internationally recognised leader with projects extending around the globe, Bluesky is proud to work with prestigious organisations such as Google, the BBC and Government Agencies.

Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography, 3D landscape/cityscape visualisations and prints and also runs a national mapping centre, providing digital mapping, satellite imagery and aerial photography including ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns.

Bluesky is now leading the way developing innovative solutions for environmental applications including the UK’s first nationwide map of solar potential, citywide ‘heat loss’ maps, 3D maps of trees and their proximity to buildings and historical imagery.

Blom is a leading European service provider within acquisition, processing and modeling of geographic information. Blom maintains unique European databases with collections of map, images and models. With particular focus on online services, Blom provides data and solutions to customers in government, enterprise and consumer markets and enables partners to create applications using Blom's databases, location based services and navigation solution.

Blom has app 1,000 employees and subsidiaries in 13 countries. The company headquarter is located in Oslo, Norway. Blom is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker BLO).

Bluesky Launches New Thermal Mapping Service

Coalville, Leicestershire - UK, 06 March 2012 - Energy inefficient households in the UK are being pinpointed and directly targeted for improvement with a new end to end thermal mapping service from Bluesky. Using the latest survey equipment and advanced georeferencing techniques Bluesky capture raw thermal survey data and process the information all the way through to the production of bespoke, targeted marketing material.  Specialist thermal sensors mounted on survey aircraft record the heat loss from houses on cold, clear winter nights.  Poorly insulated homes are identified and matched to the correct address.

These targeted, easy to understand marketing materials highlight inefficient homes in an easy to understand map form. The postcard or other mailing document shows how the house compares to other properties in the same street and is sent directly to the homeowner. Commissioned by local authorities, energy companies or home improvement businesses these marketing campaigns inform homeowners that they may benefit from extra insulation and provide suggestions as to how to go about increasing insulation and reducing carbon emissions.

Bluesky has already captured thousands of square kilometres of thermal survey data across England on behalf of many local authorities, social housing providers and even police forces who use the survey results to identify properties used as cannabis factories. The latest commissioned surveys are being undertaken on behalf of a London Borough, the majority of local Councils in Surrey as well as Rushmoor Council in Hampshire and an urban regeneration company in Northern Ireland.

The thermal surveys will be captured by Bluesky using a ‘microbolometer’ thermal camera; a system specifically designed for airborne surveying and ideal for use in aircraft flying at night. Combined with an advanced navigation and positioning system and improved sensor control and user interface Bluesky’s new generation thermal mapping system allows measurements of heat loss from property roofs to be recorded with higher precision and more consistent results than other systems currently in use in the UK.

Thermal surveys are flown during the early evening, after sunset, in order to capture the widest variations in temperature that can occur as a result of poor insulation or excessive energy consumption. The data can be produced ready for use in an organisation's Geographical Information System (GIS) or Bluesky can produce ready to be delivered marketing documents highlighting actual heat loss values for individual properties.

About Bluesky

Bluesky is a UK-based specialist in aerial imaging and remote sensing data collection and processing.  An internationally recognised leader with projects extending around the globe, Bluesky is proud to work with prestigious organisations such as Google, the BBC and Government Agencies.

Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography, 3D landscape/cityscape visualisations and prints and also runs a national mapping centre, providing digital mapping, satellite imagery and aerial photography including ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns.

Bluesky is now leading the way developing innovative solutions for environmental applications including the UK’s first nationwide map of solar potential, citywide ‘heat loss’ maps, 3D maps of trees and their proximity to buildings and historical imagery.