High-resolution model of leading tourist attraction aims to support more effective emergency planning and response.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS), in partnership with Ordnance Survey (OS) and the Lancashire Local Resilience Forum (LRF), has mapped Blackpool Pleasure Beach in unprecedent detail, as part of an innovative project to improve emergency planning and response.
Photo by Mark mc neill / Unsplash
Blackpool is one of the country’s most popular attractions, with more than 5m people visiting the Pleasure Beach each year, not least for its 125 rides and attractions.
Yet the compact space, tall structures and large number of visitors makes this a challenging environment for emergency responders. They depend on precise information to plan safe access, staging areas, evacuation routes and contingency options. In the past, traditional 2D plans have struggled to provide a full picture.
OS consultants were on hand to upskill the LFRS team in handling uncrewed ariel systems (UAS) – ie drones – enabling them to capture high overlap aerial imagery of the area, which was then processed into a high-resolution 3D mesh model of the entire site.
To provide wider operational context, the model was extended beyond the Pleasure Beach itself by combining it with a separate 3D mesh of the surrounding town supplied by OS. This has resulted in a seamless town-wide digital environment suitable for planning, training and multi-agency response.
The 3D model will now assist with better operational planning, scenario modelling and training, shared situational awareness, and safety and efficiency. That means reducing risk to responders while strengthening value for money, by re‑using the same trusted digital asset across agencies.
Blackpool is just the latest place in the UK to benefit from this technology. For example, Devon and Cornwall Police was assisted by OS geospatial experts for a major evacuation in Plymouth, while Isle of Wight Council was supported following a landslip.
Tim Murrell, Drone Manager at LFRS and Drone & Robotics Lead at the National Fire Chiefs Council, says: ‘Whilst we have been operating drones for 10 years, the complexity of the site allowed us to develop our techniques in a more challenging environment. The expertise in UAS mapping operations provided by Ordnance Survey was pivotal in allowing us to safely and effectively map the site. The drone flights and subsequent 3D mesh generation has allowed us to better support our LRF colleagues with highly detailed mapping of a complex site. We are better prepared for potential incidents and scenario training, and can provide a highly visual platform for shared situational awareness.’
Kevin Topping, Chair of the LRF Lancashire Emergency Response Plan Sub Group, adds: ‘Lancashire Local Resilience Forum has a long history of innovation. Although we have always utilised GIS data to produce static maps, the use of newer technology and applications opened up the possibility of assessing how drones could bring a new sense of realism to planning, response, and recovery. This initial example, supported by Ordnance Survey, has enabled us to build on our experience and widen the scope to more sites now and in the future, both in peacetime and during a response.’
Chris Heap, Propositions Manager at Ordnance Survey, says: ‘Ordnance Survey has a long history of supporting emergency planning and emergency response services, so enabling the highly detailed 3D modelling of such an iconic site as Blackpool Pleasure Beach was a tremendous privilege. This community is increasingly investing in the use of drones for routine operations, but often needs that extra level of support and expertise that OS can provide in order to create 3D models. OS 3D mesh forms a highly re-useable and multi-purpose 3D base map suitable for a wide variety of uses from town planning through to large scale infrastructure development.’
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