Property Consultancy Addresses COVID Challenges using thinkWhere Web Mapping Technology

Sterling, Scotland, 11 March 2021 - Galbraith, a leading independent property consultancy, is transforming the way it accesses and shares business critical information in response to the challenges of remote working, furloughed staff and changing COVID legislation. Using the latest web mapping technology from thinkWhere, users from across the organisation, including home workers and staff operating in the field, are easily accessing maps and other types of geographic data from any internet enabled device. The cloud-based software and data portal groundMapper, is giving Galbraith easy-to-use access to more than 300 individual data layers from third party suppliers in addition to internal business data.

“The acquisition of good data, usually followed by an element of analysis or interpretation and ending with a deliverable solution is changing,” commented Daniel Campanile, Associate GIS Manager at Galbraith. “Photocopied paper maps annotated with coloured scribbles, vague sketches in notebooks and details obtained from unreliable memories or out of date sources is simply not good enough. Throw into mix the challenges of remote working, furloughed staff and changing business demands and you have tangible drivers for change.

“However, it’s not easy to get a compromise between adopting new technologies and just getting the job done with existing processes. Get it wrong and you run the risk of being left behind or overstretching limited resources. Get it right and you have the opportunity to make a significant impact,” he continued. “Working with thinkWhere to implement groundMapper allowed us to get it right! We have redeveloped our WebGIS and we now have a modern, future-proofed online platform, that can be used by all staff with access to the Internet, wherever they are, to get relevant geospatial information.”

Designed to be easy to use, groundMapper provides a rich suite of GIS tools for querying, viewing, printing and exporting geographic information. groundMapper also provides access to more than 300 regularly maintained, individual datasets including topographic and thematic mapping from organisations such Ordnance Survey, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission. Using groundMapper Galbraith can also share internal datasets, such as estate ownership, land use and soil quality, to inform decision making and its use has shifted working practices from the traditional model of static, high volume, pdf deliverable to dynamic interactions with clients, contractors and other stakeholders.

“A crucial enhancement brought about by groundMapper is the ability to provide project-specific mapping portals both for internal teams and also as collaborative working spaces that clients can access,” Campanile concluded. “In the wider context of GIS, the production of high-quality electronic maps is now the norm and the acquisition of site-based data is also changing as we introduce a capture once principle, underpinned by apps on smartphones and software on tablets, which in turn is reducing back office time and minimising potential errors.”

About thinkWhere

thinkWhere is the UK’s leading location data sharing company. As a B2B SaaS and consulting company specialising in geography, technology and data, thinkWhere identified the emerging opportunities available using cloud computing, open data and open source technologies.

Combining deep domain expertise and a collaborative style of working, thinkWhere developed a suite of products and services that transform the way organisations use geographic data. Its unique online platform brings together all publicly available datasets in a single place, where they can be readily accessed, analysed, customised and shared.

By making geographic intelligence easier to understand, complex projects become simpler to manage and collective decisions are made faster. thinkWhere enables organisations to free up time, money and resources allowing them to focus on their own innovation and growth.

For further information visit www.thinkwhere.com