Leicestershire, July 14, 2015 ” Following an agreement between aerial mapping company Bluesky and hazard mapping specialists JBA Risk Management, visitors to www.blueskymapshop.com can now view and download a high resolution flood map for the whole of the UK. Detailing peril from six different types of flooding, the Comprehensive Flood Map (CFM) is a leading tool for flood insurance underwriters and is used by over 70 percent of the UK insurance industry. Bluesky will also be able to supply the data for offline sales to their client base, including Local Authority planners, property developers, emergency responders and environmental consultants.
The winter of 2013-14 was the wettest winter on record, and it is estimated that insurers paid out over £446 million in claims to customers whose homes, businesses and vehicles were flooded “ the equivalent of £6.7 million per day! commented Bluesky's Managing Director Rachel Tidmarsh. By making high resolution flood map data easily and affordably available through our online Mapshop, we can arm those who prepare for and manage flood events with continuous and detailed information on which to base critical decisions.
The addition of the Comprehensive Flood Map to Bluesky's online Mapshop is an important development for anyone with an interest in predicting, preventing or managing flooding in the UK, added Jill Boulton, Director at JBA Risk Management. The combination of the CFM with data already online, such as aerial photography and Ordnance Survey mapping, makes the Bluesky Mapshop a one stop shop for flood assessment data.
The CFM is a highly detailed flood map. At 5 metre resolution it covers six flood perils “ river, coastal (including wave overtopping), surface water, groundwater, canal failure and dam break, in Great Britain. Now in its seventh year, the CFM has benefited from several years of updates, use, feedback and validation against actual flood claims. The CFM has been modelled in JFlow, JBA's proprietary and highly acclaimed flood modelling software, which reached the 2012 finals of the Royal Academy of Engineering's most prestigious award for engineering innovation, the MacRobert Award.
The CFM is now available to view and purchase online at www.blueskymap.com. The Bluesky Mapshop also offers complete nationwide coverage of aerial photography with multiple ages available for every location. Visitors can also select 3D data including Digital Terrain and Surface Models (DTM / DSM) for all of England and Wales, and more accurate LiDAR data for most areas. Thermal Mapping is available for selected areas, and the National Tree Map data now covers all of England and Wales and is available for instant download.
