High resolution image of Basin Pocket in Ipswich, QLD

Local City Council Compliance

To ensure building structures remain compliant, Ipswich City Council transforms its physical on-site inspections into digital with Nearmap.

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Apr 2020 | Ipswich, QLD
Nearmap helps us through most of the compliance process and we don’t need to leave the office to start our investigations.
Peter Bartley, Development Compliance Officer at City of Ipswich

Reporting the Truth on the Ground

The City of Ipswich deals within hundreds of complaints ranging from improper land use to unlawful structures spanning across an area of 420 mi2. Using Nearmap, this local government council has been able to conduct digital remote investigations to ensure compliance on a larger scale.

The Challenge at a glance

Monitoring Inconsistensies with Land Usage

Unapproved developments are a common occurrence. The degree of difference between what has been approved by the council and what is actually built can vary significantly. In one instance, a factory turned out to be 11,000 square feet bigger than what was approved. 

With the high volume of property complaints as well as the added complexity of lockdowns from COVID-19, physical on-site inspections are simply impractical.

Aerial image of a plot of land in Riverview, Ipswich, Queensland
Historical Comparison of Aerial Imagery in Ipswich
The Solution at a glance

More Than Meets the Eye

The City of Ipswich is using Nearmap to gather evidence efficiently and to help minimize the risk of going on-site. As opposed to satellite imagery that has updates few and far between, regularly updated Nearmap aerial imagery illustrates change over time - complete with date stamps. 

In-built measurement tools within Nearmap are used to assess if structures are large enough to warrant approval or to measure the proximity of structures to the surrounding boundaries.

Oblique imagery is also utilized to view buildings from different angles. This has proven to be very helpful in identifying additional property characteristics such as plumbing or windows.

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Thagoona aerial map in Ipswich, QLD
Apr 2020 | Ipswich, QLD

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