Continual evolution and regular enhancements to the street-level map data sets available from MapMechanics have helped international consultancy WSP to build up and refine its own portfolio of mapping resources, some of which can be accessed by hundreds of staff at multiple locations, all working on projects that involve mapping.
Lately WSP has used NAVTEQ street-level map data supplied by MapMechanics to create a spatial data repository and “cache” for the entire country, using the custom feature styles now available in this data.
“We can now deliver the cached dataset via our intranet mapping systems to all staff with performance similar to internet-mapping sites,” says UK GIS manager David Edem.
He adds that the introduction of directional information with the 2008 edition of NAVTEQ Base Streets has also allowed the company to perform more accurate isochrone catchments.
He says NAVTEQ’s directional attributes have also helped the company to develop link demand analysis on a network involving multiple-origin to single-destination routing. The NAVTEQ data is used in association with WSP’s other data to ensure that vehicles travel by the most effective route.
WSP is an international multi-disciplinary consultancy employing around 10,000 staff in over 250 offices worldwide. Its projects range from local travel plans to the structural engineering of the Freedom Tower on the site of the World Trade Centre.
The company has around 300 staff using the ESRI ArcView desktop geographic information system. MapMechanics formatted the NAVTEQ data specifically for use with this software – one of the ways in which MapMechanics aims to add value to source map data. Intranet- and internet-based mapping solutions are also provided to WSP staff and clients, who are supported by a central GIS team.
“GIS is strongly integrated into WSP’s workflows and projects,” David Edem says. “These include flood modelling, transport planning and modelling, accessibility analysis, acoustics, environmental impact assessments, pipeline routing and intelligent transport systems, to name a few.”
In order to meet clients’ needs, WSP required a vector data set that contains an appropriate level of detail and is economical enough to serve to its large user base.
“The nature of our business means our principal corporate vector dataset must contain comprehensive road network and transport related information,” says Stephen Brooks, a principal GIS consultant in WSP. “We often produce mapping that collates information from a variety of sources, so it is important that the dataset we use correlates with other national datasets, both vector and raster based.”
Following an assessment of available products, WSP chose NAVTEQ Base Streets data, which it has found to offer a good balance of accuracy, content and affordability. The company also found it helpful to be able to work with mapping that has a consistent data structure across the globe.
The map data is used both for analysis and as background mapping in projects such as catchment analysis, census interrogation, environmental mapping, accessibility analysis and local facilities mapping.
WSP also uses the NAVTEQ data as a basis for transport modelling work, taking advantage of the detailed road network to build complex traffic models. In addition, NAVTEQ data is used as a backdrop for accessibility models.
David Edem says the fine detail of NAVTEQ data is proving invaluable. WSP uses the attributes from NAVTEQ Streets Base to define detailed feature styles for each of the layers. “For example, we currently have one layer that has 31 different styles. Features are labelled on-the-fly using custom VB script that is based on multiple attribute fields.”
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