With a VW Polo hatchback and a mounted camera, two Port Elizabeth-based tech teams are mapping sections of the Eastern Cape in a Google-like fashion.
But Point of Interest (POI) and OVVIO are focusing on more than just street views; they are also capturing dirt roads, tracks and footpaths.
POI, a geographic information system (GIS) specialist company located in Bird Street, Central, is using the OVVIO platform to create maps which, the teams says, are more interactive and up to date than the ones on Google.
This detailed information is essential for municipal planning purposes, one of POI’s directors, Ross Cogan, said.
“We are able to provide all the ownership and zoning information of any building in the surveyed area at the click of a button.
“Using our database of farmland, we are also able to identify suitable land for specific crops.
“Installers of large-scale solar panel arrays are also using our expertise and systems to identify the best position for the panels in terms of sunlight, security, access and connectivity,” Cogan said.
Another director at POI, Brendon Watkiss, said one of the farming projects undertaken by POI, for use by the government, looked at specific commodities per province and how suitable areas were for cash crops.
“Google never really drove through the small towns because for them there was not much value to that. But to the municipality and to the people that live there the lack of information is a problem,” Watkiss said.
“We could also identify areas that were under-utilised.
“At the moment, government is looking at reassigning land to communities in need – we can then identify which areas are more suitable for farming purposes.
“Our system provides a fast turnaround time. Clients can see the images and maps that have been captured within 24 hours,” Watkiss said.
While some data, such as that which includes personal information, is protected, other data, such as climate data and property values, is accessible to the public.
The teams have not yet become involved in the Bay metro, but OVVIO co-founder Carel Olivier said this was not due to a lack of trying.
“We aren’t in the metro yet. As with government there are tender processes and you need to be appointed.”
Olivier describes OVVIO as a cloud-based tool that provided access to property valuation, billing, asset and project information via a map enabled portal.
“An interesting example would be the department of finance needing the ownership data for properties.
“But your town planning department also needs it for building planning applications.
“So instead of them working in silos, we combine the data so that everyone can access the necessary information.
“Through the ratepayers portal, ratepayers can access their accounts online, receive them via e-mail and pay online,” Olivier said.
Watkiss said the team spends a significant amount time on the road collecting the data, ideally worked during times where lighting is most suitable for photography.
As with the Google Maps Street Car, the camera is mounted on the roof of the vehicle, using a mount designed by fellow POI director Stephen du Preez and Olivier.
Images are captured 360 degrees around the vehicle and are geo-tagged for integration into the GIS system.
The team has mapped several towns in municipalities such as Enoch Mgijima and Ndlambe and will be working in the Walter Sisulu municipality before the end of October.