nearmap targets mining and rail
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Google Maps competitor nearmap launched its first product aimed at businesses in mining, rail and ports today.
The Sydney based business, with an office in Perth, said the nearmap Rail launch was an extension of its current operations taking high resolution images from a plane and providing clients with access to imagery with analytics and measurement tools, information overlays and elevation profiles.
nearmap distinguishes itself from global giant Google’s maps feature by its frequency of new images, updating its images 11 times a year and adding new images within three days of being captured.
Managing director Simon Crowther said the business which has thousands of customers including the Clean Energy Regulator, Main Roads WA, Public Transport Authority and Landgate, as well as 90 local councils nationally, said there had been substantial interest from potential mining and resources customers to justify launching a new product.
“It’s a big market,” Mr Crowther said.
“Nobody else in the world is doing what we’re doing. We see ourselves as a publisher and we work on a subscription model which allows us to own our own data and allow multiple people to access it,” he said.
nearmap currently has images of 85 per cent of Australia’s populated areas, and after experiencing a breakthrough in recording images last November, was able to start taking images of railway lines and infrastructure.
nearmap is marketing the product to railway users, mining companies and ports users and will work with customers to add constantly updated images to its database of areas they request.
Mr Crowther said customers could use nearmap Rail to inspect areas after extreme weather, check the condition of assets, and make decisions based on timely visual analytics.
Mr Crowther said in the last 60 days nearmap had added more than 2,000 kilometres of railway infrastructure images to its database and was working on adding a 3D feature and additional analytical tools, including flood modelling, within the next 12 months.