200 years ago, aerial mapping Wales – or aerial mapping anywhere else, for that matter – would have been a bit of a challenge. With the huge leaps in modern map technology that have been seen since 1999, though, modern “sky maps” of the country are delivering superb resolution and unmatched detail – which, taken in conjunction with other forms of aerial data, including LiDAR, allows cartographers to develop fantastically informative maps of the area.

These days, aerial mapping Wales is carried out as part of an ongoing rotational project run by UK based photo and laser map big guns Getmapping. Getmapping, who have developed unique partnerships with several major cartographic and geological survey bodies, have devoted much of the last 10 years to creating a cyclical map of the entire British Isles, with repeat flyovers made of every square inch of the UK at least once every five years. What that means is that their maps are, on average, the most up to date (and therefore useful) available – both to private citizens and to businesses.

The business advantages of aerial mapping Wales are clear. With good aerial maps in place (maps that show elevations in terms of actual ground level, for example, rather than just tree lines), construction and mining companies are able to identify likely spots for good development. Geological surveys use the aerial maps of Wales to track potential landscape changes – and, of course, a variety of web sites now buy the data on a regular basis so their visitors can zoom in on their towns, streets and even houses.

Mapping has always been a deeply human phenomenon, saying as much about humanity’s desire to make sense of the world around it as it does about our need to get to places. Aerial mapping Wales, like aerial mapping anywhere in the UK, has proven so incredibly popular not just because it facilitates accurate mapping of roads and routes: but because it offers a stupendously sharp vision of the country that very few of its inhabitants would get to see in real life.

Good aerial mapping, with its aeroplane borne hi res cameras and superlative reproduction quality, offers people the chance to see the world as, until now, only birds have been able to. Unlike birds, though, most of the people looking at these maps are doing so on computers, where they can zoom in to levels of detail that would have been impossible even five years ago. Aerial mapping Wales lets Welsh people see their homes, their gardens, their streets and cities, from the vantage point of the Gods.

The practical applications of aerial maps, as they get more and more highly resolved and capable of even bigger reproduction, spiral endlessly towards a horizon limited only by man’s own power of inventiveness. Effectively, aerial mapping Wales gives businesses and research projects of all kinds the ability to hover, virtually, above the terrain they are studying – getting to know it in ways they would never have had access to before. With such limitless technology comes limitless opportunity. The sky, as they say, really is the limit.