London Borough of Harrow creates digital twin with new street imagery and LiDAR data

New approach will help improve Planning, Highways and Council Tax operations

The London Borough of Harrow has added high definition street-level imagery and LiDAR data to its Esri UK corporate GIS system, giving staff access to a highly accurate digital twin of the borough. Part of Harrow’s strategy to explore new digital approaches and advance its digital twin agenda, the move is designed to improve the efficiency of various tasks in Planning, Highways and Council Tax and reduce the overall need for physical site visits.

As Esri UK partner, Cyclomedia provides the new imagery and associated LiDAR data provides a full 3D digital representation of the environment and can be viewed simultaneously alongside other geospatial data within the Esri GIS, such as street furniture, council tax records, planning applications and Ordnance Survey data.

The new imagery will mean Planning can view properties alongside planning applications, Highways can verify that street works have been delivered or plan new mobility schemes, such as cycle lanes, while the Council Tax department can carry out remote property inspections. Users can also apply the various analysis tools within the Esri GIS system to the imagery, such as accurate measuring of properties or boundaries and viewshed analysis, to determine where shadows may fall from future developments, for example.

Harrow previously relied on other sources of street level imagery but wanted more accurate, higher resolution and timely information to provide a true virtual understanding of its local area. Esri UK brought in partner Cyclomedia to help solve the challenge. Cyclomedia data is captured by its fleet of 100 megapixel camera cars and includes roads in Harrow which were not covered by the previous street imagery.