Land use location and extent mapped across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland              

28 June 2012: Cambridge - The GeoInformation Group, publishers of mapping and geospatial information products, announces the first release of its land use reference database for the United Kingdom.

This unique and comprehensive National Land Use Map identifies the location and the extent of 26 different land use categories throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is the only current map of its kind enabling planners and policy decision makers to consider the strategic implications of their plans in the context of a national picture.

The land use information is updated on a regular basis and includes industrial areas, retail and business parks, agricultural and natural landscapes as well as different types of urban environments.  These key categories help professionals directly address both current and future issues such as flooding, house building and the preservation of open space all based on a single and consistent database.

The National Land Use Map, which was derived from projects in support of national utility network programmes has been adapted for use by market sectors such as local and central government, consulting engineers and commercial property developers.  It is broadly based on NLUD v4.4 classification system to ensure compatibility with databases that have been created in the past.

The database enables professionals to make informed decisions about development, taking into account both local and regional context and balancing the conflicting pressures of urban growth and rural protection.

“The availability of a national land use database that covers the length and breadth of the United Kingdom is a powerful resource for anyone charged with managing our landscape. Not only does it offer the ability to consider the wider implication of plans but the ability to identify land use and derive statistics in a consistent and coherent manner”, said Alun Jones, Manager Director for The GeoInformation Group.

“For over 15 years, The GeoInformation Group has used its extensive expertise to create land use maps through digitising land use types from high resolution aerial photography but never before has a database been available at a national scale. Its value will be recognised by professional users in a wide range of market sectors.”

Data is provided in easy to use formats and users can define the area they wish to purchase.  Alternatively, Customised Land Use maps are available on request as well as UKMap’s Base layer for Greater London which offers land use at the 1:1,000 mapping scale.

To find out more about National Land Use Map or request a quote for your area, contact Email Contact or visit the website at www.geoinformationgroup.co.uk/products/national-lu