Unlock smarter insights with geospatial data
Feb 2025
Vera Leister-TaylorPlan with accurate and multi-perspective views of your sites that help identify and overcome common obstacles at the earliest stages of your projects.
Feb 2025
Vera Leister-Taylor)
Designing a high-rise, planning a transit corridor, or breaking ground on infrastructure shouldn’t feel like guesswork, yet outdated satellite imagery and limited data often make it just that. For professionals in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), these issues have long been obstacles, leading to project delays, costly rework, budget pressures and stakeholder misalignment.
But what if we could change all that? What if, instead of piecing together incomplete snapshots of a site, you had a current, three-dimensional perspective at your fingertips? That’s exactly what Nearmap brings to the table: a detailed, up-to-date, and interactive view of the world that helps you plan and build with greater confidence.
Addressing the limitations of traditional planning
Relying on outdated maps, expensive surveys, and sporadic, resource-heavy drone captures fall short in addressing real-world complexities. Even small oversights can turn into major headaches. For example, you find out too late that a subtle elevation change affects your drainage plan, or you realise too far down the road that your new structure casts a shadow where you don’t want one. With Nearmap, these limitations become a thing of the past:
- High-resolution vertical imagery captured up to six times per year, covering up to 87% of the U.S. population, ensures you’re working with the latest, most comprehensive data.
- Nearmap 3D sits in the Level of Development (LOD) range of 300 - 350 within the Building Information Modeling (BIM) framework, providing highly accurate, geographically referenced models.
- Digital Surface Models (DSMs) and Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) provide elevation insights, vital for infrastructure development and landscape design.
- 3D textured mesh enables a realistic visualization of projects to ensure there are no conflicts with terrain, or neighboring buildings.
- Seamless integration with leading platforms like Autodesk, Esri, and Bentley Systems allows you to incorporate accurate geospatial data directly into your workflows.
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How Stantec leverages Nearmap imagery and 3D data
A prime example of this technology in action is Stantec, an international firm specializing in engineering design and professional services. Known for tackling large, complex projects, from infrastructure to community planning, Stantec integrates Nearmap imagery and 3D data to optimize construction project workflows. With accurate location intelligence from Nearmap, their confidence in preliminary design and planning work improved, reducing the need for surveyor site visits and costly custom flyovers.
Faster, smarter decision-making
Time is of the essence in AEC projects. Scheduling site visits can be challenging, especially in adverse weather or hard-to-access locations. With Nearmap, you can explore project sites virtually and run detailed “what-if” scenarios without leaving your desk. This accelerates approvals, fosters collaboration, and improves stakeholder alignment.
A step toward sustainability
Reducing guesswork doesn’t just save time and money—it can also help the environment. Fewer unnecessary site visits mean fewer trucks on the road and a lighter carbon footprint. More accurate planning means less material wasted on last-minute adjustments. As the industry moves toward more sustainable practices, tools like Nearmap 3D help make those goals tangible.
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Streamline compliance and planning
High-resolution aerial imagery and geospatial data give AEC professionals a clearer, more comprehensive view of their project sites. Whether it’s assessing elevation changes or seamlessly integrating data into GIS, CAD, and BIM workflows, Nearmap makes it easier to make informed decisions, faster. For instance:
- Environmental Engineers can evaluate safety and regulatory risks, leveraging current and historic surveys and AI data to identify changes over time.
- Design Engineers benefit from elevation and slope data to optimize infrastructure designs and reduce rework.
- Project Managers can streamline urban planning and expedite proposals and permitting processes with consistent, high-resolution imagery.
- Architects can use the 3D mesh data to produce compelling visuals for reports and stakeholder presentations.
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Building the future with confidence
In the AEC industry, success is measured by creating meaningful, enduring spaces—places where people live, work, and connect. Nearmap empowers professionals to plan smarter, build more efficiently, and make a positive impact. Whether you’re leveraging detailed 3D models for immersive visualizations or high-resolution imagery for accurate analysis, Nearmap equips you with the tools to view every detail and make confident decisions.
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