Uncovering Unexploded Ordnance

Today we woke up to reports of a huge unexploded World War II bomb being identified at a building site in Southwark, south London.

With households within the vicinity evacuated while the Army manages the safe removal of the device, it highlights the importance of undertaking Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) assessments at the outset of any building development works, as the probability of identifying UXO originating from the Second World War might not be as uncommon as you think.  

According to the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA), between 2006 and 2009, approximately 15,000 devices were removed from construction sites – of which 5% were live.

Add to this, it has been reported that during WWII over 17,000 tonnes of explosive fell on London alone, with figures suggesting that approximately 10% did not detonate on impact. 

Site Assessments:

Help is available to the construction industry: the first port of call is a desktop tool called a Preliminary UXO Risk Assessment. It quickly provides a 'yes/no' answer as to whether there is any risk of encountering a bomb. It has been developed in line with guidance from CIRIA and endorsed by the Health and Safety Executive.

If a positive ‘yes’ output is identified, the next stage of assessment is to conduct a Detailed UXO Risk Assessment. This will detail the type of threat, the size, origin and also takes into account the proposed construction method and how that would impact on risk of detonation.  Risk mitigation measures are then provided to allow construction to proceed.

The ‘Bomb Search’ assessments are available from Envirocheck, part of Landmark Information Group, and are provided by renowned experts in the field of UXO, 6 Alpha Associates.

Talking about the potential risks, Simon Cooke, Managing Director at 6 Alpha Associates, in partnership with Landmark Information Group, said:

“Encountering an unexploded bomb on a construction site is a low probability but extremely high consequence event, particularly when you take into account potential loss of life. Not to mention shock waves which could spread underground for some distance, causing damage to foundations and other underground works.   As we see it, it is the potential consequence, rather than the probability, which really drives the importance of undertaking detailed risk assessments before any work starts.”

Ultimately, at the start of any new ground works project, the first stage Preliminary search is a must. While the potential risk may be considered small, it is clear it should not be overlooked for the ultimate safety of all concerned.

More details regarding Envirocheck Bomb Search can be found here:

• http://www.envirocheck.co.uk/products/environmental/bomb_search/

More details regarding 6 Alpha can be found here:

• http://www.6alpha.com/

Related News Link:

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-32023201

Information Management: Taking on the Ebola Outbreak

Back in 2012, Landmark launched a partnership with the charity, MapAction, which maps life-saving information about disaster situations so aid agencies can target relief efforts effectively.

The partnership continues today and as well as being a nominated charity, members of the Landmark team volunteer their services when their specialist help is needed.  For almost a decade, Darren Connaghan, a GIS specialist at Argyll Environmental Ltd, which is part of Landmark Information Group, has played an active role with MapAction and has been deployed to support field teams in locations such as Kenya, Haiti and the Philippines.

His latest deployment has taken him to Africa, where he was part of the MapAction team in its role in managing data and information for the Ebola Operation Centre in Monrovia. 

As Darren explains, there is a dearth of information managers prepared to travel to the region and overall poor communication networks in the area, therefore the role MapAction plays in collating data across Liberia, ensures that everyone involved in the UN's Ebola response mission is up to date with the very latest, accurate information related to the aid programme:

Darren Connaghan

“The geographical scope of the Ebola outbreak is vast, covering three countries - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - and it has already claimed thousands of lives. MapAction's mapped situational analysis helps make the response as targeted and effective as possible, by bringing together, mapping and information management specialists to help coordinate the communications in one place.

In this particular deployment, we were asked by the UNDAC (UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination) team to fly to Liberia and support them with their information management and mapping needs. A team of three were initially deployed and I joined them in late September for a two week period, where I worked from the main Ebola Operation Centre in Monrovia. 

Working alongside government departments, national departments, military and NGOs, the centre is a hub where all the organisation of the response mission takes place.  We talk to all the aid agencies to find out what data they need, as well as work closely with the Liberian Institute of Statistics' GIS department and the US military to build a picture of what the mission looks like.

In Liberia, radio and telephone communications are generally poor as are the road networks so much of the information regarding what has been undertaken in individual locations was predominantly verbal.  This, by its very nature, is difficult to plot, manage and track and the overall accuracy of data diminishes as it gets passed from person to person, so cannot be fully relied on.

Instead, MapAction is able to coordinate the mapping of critical situational information so that all agencies involved have a clear understanding on what is happening in each and every location, at any time. 

"Aid in the wrong place is no aid at all"

“MapAction deployment model is based on self-sufficiency. We arrive with all equipment required such as laptop, printer, networking kit, paper and in some deployments, even a small generator as without power, we can't function for long.

I now have another four week deployment in Africa throughout November, during which time I will be working on extending the reach of information managers across the three affected countries advising on GIS, mapping and product strategy for UNMEER (IN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response).

As I see it, with the correct right level of information management in place, you avoid duplicating efforts, resources can be designated correctly, and everyone involved in the mission has a clear and current view on who is carrying out what actions and where, removing uncertainty.

This is also known as 3W (who, what and where)

Supporting MapAction enables me to utilise my GIS expertise in some of the most challenging emergencies that we face today in the world. I am proud to be supporting MapAction in this deployment and in doing my bit towards halting this deadly disease in its tracks."

http://www.mapaction.org/

Wildfire TV takes a walk through history with Landmark

Television production company, Wildfire Television has selected Landmark Information Group to source and supply a range of data terrain images for a series commissioned by Channel 4.

‘WalkingThrough History’ is the third series of six history documentaries that are presented by Sir Tony Robinson.   The programmes start broadcasting  on Saturday 25^th October at 20:00hrs on Channel 4 and will focus on locations across the UK, including the Cairngorms, Sherwood Forest, Pembrokeshire, the Yorkshire Moors, and the Channel Islands.

Landmark has worked closely with the production team to produce a series of images showing stylised terrain data overlaid with reference features including key road networks and coastlines.  This has been produced using a combination of Ordnance Survey open data and OS Terrain® 50 datasets.

Marisa Verazzo, Production Manager of Walking Through History for Wildfire Television said: “We are pleased to be working with the team at Landmark Information Group to provide us with a host of contoured terrain maps for Walking Through History.  The maps really put the areas that we will be focusing on in the series into context, and by working with Landmark we have been able to access exactly what we need.”

Matt Wills, Senior GIS Analyst at Landmark Information Group said: “We are pleased to be able to deliver a host of hill-shaded and coloured OS Terrain 50 maps to Wildfire Television for use in the new Channel 4 documentary.  It just goes to show another great way that our extensive range of datasets and maps are being put to use in the commercial world – so, as well as supporting the environmental, land and property industries, our data and mapping tools are also here to support media, marketing and other similar industries in piecing together the history of a given location.”

www.promap.co.uk 

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/walking-through-history

The Data behind the Commonwealth Games

The Commonwealth Games is now well underway in Glasgow with 4,500 athletes taking part and many thousands of anticipated visitors and spectators.  In the build-up to the Games, the significant investment, redevelopment and regeneration of the city has been particularly interesting to monitor. 

The impressive Athletes Village has been built over 35 hectares, which is alongside the Emirates Stadium – a state of the art facility that opened in 2012, with a seating capacity of over 5,000 spectators.  The Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome has also been developed alongside the stadium, while the SECC Precinct, which is just short of 2 miles from Glasgow’s centre, forms the largest single venue of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Having run some analysis through our Promap and Envirocheck systems, it has provided us with some great insight into the history of Glasgow and, in particular, the areas that have been subject to recent redevelopment in readiness for the Games.  

When looking at all of Glasgow’s venues, the first thing that we quickly identified is that there are over 4,800 instances of historic land use within the immediate vicinities.

The SECC Precinct has 36 instances of potentially contaminative historic land use within a mile of the site just from the earliest map alone, all of which are of a diverse nature: from transport manufacturing & repair, saw-milling, metal casting, through to cargo handling, railways and even the site of a former cemetery.

Historic maps also show that the SECC Precinct has been built on the site of the old Queen’s Dock. With the decline in shipping traffic, the dock became redundant and was filled in with rubble from the demolition of St Enoch station in the late 1970’s.

The redevelopment of the various sites in and around Glasgow really goes to show that past land use shouldn't limit or restrict future use or development.  By accessing the right data, it provides a detailed picture into the past use of the land, meaning the correct remediation can take place to enable future progress. 

With a current emphasis on building more residential properties across the UK – including re-purposing and utilising unused brownfield land or sites – it just goes to show that understanding the past use of the land can help transform an area for today and also for future generations to come. 

Fluvial, pluvial, tidal, or groundwater: Landmark maps all flood risk

This month, Landmark featured in a prominent Sunday Telegraph supplement that focused on flood risk and protection.

The article focused on Landmark’s introduction of the ESI National Groundwater Flood Risk Map data, which has been integrated into the flood risk reports.  This means that detailed analysis on all forms of flood – fluvial (river), pluvial (surface water), coastal or tidal and now groundwater – can now be analysed to assess the risk posed at a given property or location.

With extreme weather conditions threatening to become ever more prevalent, plus Environment Agency data illustrating that overall flood risk has increased over the last decade, the ability to accurately assess associated risk is increasingly important in first stage prevention.

At Landmark, we provide access to specialist flood data from a range of expert sources and produce bespoke flood analysis reports to clarify what level of risk is posed to a particular area of land, building site or property.

Our environmental data is exhaustive and by analysing risk rather than susceptibility, our reports provide accurate due diligence, so preventative measures or an appropriate action plan can be put in place, as needed.

To read a copy of the full supplement – click here.

Contamination Concerns and Addressing Development Risk

An observant walker can readily pick out sites of historical significance anywhere in the UK; just keep an eye out for the distinct blue plaques and the previously hidden history comes to life.

However, determining the risk of the UK’s industrial legacy is a much harder task, more so when the historic site itself has long been developed. So how can we be certain of risks to health when we don’t have a blue plaque for past land use?

 Ordnance Survey map extract, hand-drawn Landmark analysis highlighting sources of potential contamination and ground instability.

In 1998 Landmark Information Group completed the creation of a unique database of Historical Land Use and Potentially Contaminative Industries, using guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Environment Act 1995.

The database was created under a Joint Venture between Landmark and Ordnance Survey (OS).The resultant data analysis and digital dataset has proved essential for investigations into the existence of historically contaminated land and previously in-filled land.

A recent news story has highlighted the investigation of potentially contaminated land in Paddock Wood, Kent. While local residents and the governing local authority await the results of the investigation, the media story is focused on the potential effect of the historical contaminants. How were residents to know about the potential for contamination?

Landmark Information Group has been able to report and detail the potential contamination at the site since the original mapping analysis was completed in 1998. Historical mapping displays the site of the works as it appeared on OS mapping: 

And the Landmark data, in its digital form, highlights the extent of the former works with contemporary mapping included.

In the example above, the area is clearly indicated as being affected by past land use, and historic map analysis of this type would have identified the source of potential contamination many years ago.

The case in Kent is not unique, but the problem can be easily addressed at the very outset. Such historical mapping can not only identify potential sources of risk, but can also determine if remediation measures are necessary prior to development.

Any site that is determined to be contaminated by the Local Authority is therefore put on their register and it’s worth remarking that Landmark also collates and reports local authority contaminated land registers, with over 1000 features available. However, often it will simply be a case of reassuring residents that any risk posed from historical industrial use is either negligible, or that appropriate measures were put in place at the very start of the development process. Evidence of an in-depth site survey is often all that is needed. 

Landmark launches Promap Plug-In for AutoCAD 2014

Landmark Information Group has today announced a free new AutoCAD 2014 plug-in for its Promap digital mapping service, which simplifies the process of integrating digitised Ordnance Survey MasterMap data directly into the CAD application.

Within the AutoCAD 2014 environment, users can now access the ‘Promap Data Services’ plug-in to digitise their area of interest using Bing Maps, and from this, request pricing for purchasing Ordnance Survey’s MasterMap. Once the file format and gridlines have been confirmed, the required dataset is then downloaded directly into AutoCAD for immediate use.

Carole Ankers, Product Development Director, Landmark Information Group said, “For anyone looking to incorporate accurate OS mapping into their AutoCAD projects, the new Promap plug-in creates a seamless and simple way of doing this. Within a few clicks, accurate topography data can be integrated within the CAD system, saving time. We have developed this in response to our clients’ feedback and so are pleased to launch the new plug-in today.”

The ‘Promap Data Services’ plug-in is available for PC users and can be downloaded from today via http://www.promap.co.uk/autocad.php.  The plug-in is available free of charge.

With over 27,000 users, Landmark’s Promap service is used by surveyors, architects, property and land developers, builders, engineers and industry professionals that require instant access to Ordnance Survey maps and related digital mapping data.   It also provides access to 3D models, height data, aerial photography and geo-data, including environmental, planning and geological reports to identify potential site issues.