Best Workflow To Research And Acquire Mapping Data

Use our services in combination to get exactly what you want faster

FBS sells aerial imagery, plus mapping data provided through reseller agreements with Teranet, Planet, TRCA and many others. The data is delivered to the end user through our three services: VuMAP, MapWarehouse, and MapCast.

Watch the video tutorial and follow along with the transcript below:

In the past, each service stood on it’s own as an access point for different types of users. Legal researchers and those without desktop mapping software prefer VuMAP‘s web based application. Developers and engineers that work extensively around a single site rely on MapWarehouse for downloadable georeferenced data tiles. Consultants, especially those who frequently look at details of many sites, are dedicated MapCast users.

We cannot offer all types of partner data on all services, however, the services can be used together to get everything you need in less time. Let’s go through an example working with Teranet’s parcel mapping to locate the data, purchase it in a vector format, and combine it with a streaming orthophoto base layer.

It starts with VuMAP. Geared towards less technical users, the online application lets you preview the parcel boundaries and associated information for any property in Ontario. Once you locate your area of interest, identify the parcels you need to cover your site. VuMAP shows you the exact line work available for purchase. Each parcel also has an associated table of information where you can find the street address and legal description. Zoom out to see the complete parcel boundaries and click on ‘buy data’. Your VuMAP login is also your MapWarehouse login. You should be immediately zoomed in to your location.

Related: How to export details of your saved research from VuMAP to a spreadsheet

MapWarehouse data is sold in 500m x 500m tiles. The parcel line work will be clipped to the square tile boundary, so draw a search area that encompasses all the area covered by your parcel if you need a complete polygon. You’ll also be capturing the line work of any adjacent parcels within the same 500m tile. Unlike VuMAP, there will not be a preview of the exact data, only the coverage area of the data. It’s also important to note that only the PIN number is included with the feature attributes in MapWarehouse. The legal descriptions and other information you found in VuMAP will not be included in your MapWarehouse delivery. Find ‘Ternaet Parcel’ in the item selection tab and add the tiles to your shopping cart. At the checkout, pick your file formats and enter your payment information. When it’s ready, download your data package from your order history.

Finally, you’ll use MapCast to provide contextual information about the land cover at your site with high resolution aerial imagery while you work with the parcel line work you downloaded from MapWarehouse in your CAD or GIS software. You may be used to making spot purchases for imagery on MapWarehouse too, and you still can, but the best value for most companies moving forward will be MapCast following the launch of our new pricing model.

Open your mapping software and add your new parcel data, then connect to MapCast through the WMS or WMTS protocol, or whichever connection type works with your application. Through the MapCast connection, you’ll have access to the current and historical aerial imagery for all of Ontario, just like in VuMAP, but with the benefit of sophisticated spatial analysis tools built into your desktop software. Unlike VuMAP, your parcel mapping is completely editable. Mark up and attach additional information related to your project.

And that’s it. First identify the exact parcels you want in VuMAP, buy them on MapWarehouse, then work with them in your own software over the MapCast base layer. This is the workflow we recommend to research, obtain, and work with mapping data from First Base Solutions. To review our data catalogue and learn more about our services, please visit, www.firstbasesolutions.com.