February 22, 2011 -- Aerial mapping company Bluesky has been awarded a number of contracts by UK Local Authorities to map heat loss from properties using new thermal imaging technology. The resulting thermal maps provide Councils and other organisations with intelligence with which to address fuel poverty, reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency. Thermal imagery has even been used by the Police to identify properties used as cannabis factories.

The latest night time surveys will extend over nearly 2,000 square kilometres of urban Britain and will be undertaken using Bluesky’s state of the art thermal survey system. Specially designed for airborne surveying the Bluesky system offers unparalleled accuracy and precision and is the first of it’s kind in use in the UK.

The areas being surveyed by Bluesky include Leeds, North Lincolnshire, East Lindsey, Bassetlaw and Breckland. The thermal maps will be supplied ready for use in the Councils’ Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and web mapping services.

The latest thermal surveys to be undertaken by Bluesky will be captured using a new ‘microbolometer’ thermal camera; a system specifically designed for airborne surveying and ideal for use in aircraft flying at night. Combined with an advanced navigation and positioning system and improved sensor control and user interface Bluesky’s new generation thermal mapping system allows measurements of heat loss from property roofs to be recorded with higher precision and more consistent results than systems used in the past.

Kerri Ellis, Sustainability Officer at Bassetlaw District Council, which has recently commissioned a thermal survey from Bluesky, commented, “The Bluesky thermal data will help us accurately identify individual properties at risk of fuel poverty and enable us to proactively target households for tailored advice and signposting.

” Bluesky has already completed more than 5,100 square kilometres of thermal surveys over the last few years for organisations including Birmingham, Hastings, Leicester and Peterborough Councils. Calderdale and Luton are two of Bluesky’s clients that have decided to publish their thermal maps online giving visitors to the Councils’ websites an instant snapshot of how much heat is escaping through their roof.

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