business focus 33 Put your business on the map
Accurate and detailed maps of land and property assets are key to their efficient management, and really help the swift resolution of boundary disputes, and the electronic landscape has certain advantages when it comes to looking after its physical counterpart, according to Andy Williams, partner, the new head of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and mapping at Carter Jonas, who is charged with bringing military decision-making tools to the urban and rural property sector
So much information essential to the running of any property asset, from a business park to a country estate, is tied up in the knowledge of key personnel – detailed facts of land drains, culverts, and other drainage features is acquired over years of onsite experience, but often it cannot be shared with contractors, who have to be led around, and it remains vulnerable to changes of staff.
Topographic surveys can be carried out relatively inexpensively, leading to the production of land terriers that aid the management of tenancies and scheduled maintenance. Carter Jonas offers the facility to securely host this commercially-sensitive information and make it accessible to estate personnel through interactive mapping portals.
Surveying has come a long way, and the latest application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology can even assist farmers to identify the spread of invasive species and target crop spraying operations. The best results are obtained when a GIS is used to combine remote sensing data with local knowledge and accurate information about soil conditions and ground water, before planning precisely where, and where not, to take action. Such surveys can be completed leading to the production of mapping portals which can aid the management of tenancies and scheduled maintenance.
Scanning technology is also useful for evaluating and monitoring buildings, bridges and earth banks that may be at risk from subsidence, erosion, or structural defects. Firms that integrate surveyors with mapping, architects, and masterplanning have a distinct advantage when it comes to looking after old assets and visualising new developments.
Landlords and owners considering planning applications need to access information on the environment beyond their boundary; this information can be freely available, but often attracts a charge. There are also questions of scale and resolution, the traditional post-election red/blue constituency map is not necessarily a
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – NOVEMBER 2015
Andy Williams (centre) with the national mapping team
good indicator of local opinion on a given topic; experience counts when cutting through the chaff to find the right information to support the right decision.
Assessing the impact of a proposed change of use starts to realise the full power of GIS and operator. Combining socio-economic distributions with additional information on access to transport and utilities neatly describes the need for and viability of a scheme, or the potential catchment of a new service provider.
The national GIS and mapping team is based in Carter Jonas’ Oxford office and is a fully integrated spatial information service, in other words, digitally connecting location, people and activities, that harnesses accurate GPS surveys and a state of the art GIS enterprise to deliver powerful planning and decision making tools in a digestible format. As the new head, I have brought with me substantial experience of military surveying and geospatial intelligence. I am already making improvements to our services with an operational focus that means clients can access a national service with the responsiveness you would expect from a local agent.
My vision for the GIS and mapping team is to be the biggest seller of referencing services to infrastructure development across the country. We already work hand-in-hand with firmwide teams for their clients using GIS analysis to identify the optimum locations for strategic national assets, and finding good locations for
new businesses, houses, and infrastructures. We have a great team in place consisting of mapping technicians and land referencers who can help our clients.
The science is in databases and tools to exploit big data sets, whilst the art is in harnessing opinions as objectively as possible. GIS is about looking quantitatively and qualitatively at your real estate needs to maximise operational efficiency.
Andy Williams is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and chartered geographer. He joined Carter Jonas from the British Army where he served for 18 years, most recently at the Royal School of Military Survey in Thatcham where he was a senior instructor, and also chief geographic officer for the MOD’s support in the 2012 Olympics. Williams’ remit is to grow the firm’s delivery of GIS and mapping services both internally as it supports it commercial, planning and development, residential, rural teams, and externally to provide direct consultancy services for developers, investors, landowners, and the professional services industry.
Details: Andy Williams
andy.williams@carterjonas.co.uk
www.businessmag.co.uk
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