What datasets are available through theMapCloud?

theMapCloud provides access to a wide range of geospatial datasets through managed web services, allowing organisations to bring external location information into their GIS without sourcing, preparing and hosting every dataset themselves. The catalogue covers subjects ranging from administrative geography and transport to property, environment and infrastructure.

But if you’re already using spatial data, then perhaps the useful question is less how many datasets are available? and more what additional questions can they help you to answer?

Boundaries and administrative geography

Boundary datasets provide geographic context for analysis, reporting and planning. Depending on the requirement, this can include administrative areas, statistical geographies and other defined boundaries that allow organisations to aggregate or compare their own information geographically.

For a utility, these datasets can support activities such as service-area analysis, reporting and understanding how networks or customers intersect with different administrative areas.

Land and property

Land and property information can help organisations understand the parcels, ownership interests and development activity surrounding assets or proposed projects.

Relevant sources can include cadastral and property-related datasets. For example, Registers of Scotland INSPIRE cadastral parcels provide indicative ownership extents for registered property in Scotland and can be consumed through a Web Feature Service. These kinds of datasets can provide useful context during early site investigation, land referencing and infrastructure planning.

Environmental information

Open geospatial data is particularly valuable for understanding environmental context. Datasets covering subjects such as land cover, water, greenspace and environmental designations can be combined with an organisation’s own asset or project information to identify potential constraints, patterns and areas requiring further investigation.

This is useful for utilities carrying out environmental assessment, network planning, resilience work or early-stage site selection. 

Transport and infrastructure

Transport and infrastructure information can provide context around existing and proposed networks, accessibility and the built environment.

Combined with an organisation’s own network data, these sources can help analysts understand relationships between infrastructure and the places it serves.

Planning and development

Location data can also provide evidence of how places are changing.

Planning information is particularly useful to utilities because proposed development can indicate where network demand and infrastructure requirements may change. Idox itself maintains a Great Britain planning applications dataset assembled from hundreds of Local Planning Authorities, demonstrating the kind of disparate public information that can be standardised and made easier to consume spatially.

Do I need every dataset?

Almost certainly not. But the strength of a service such as theMapCloud isn’t that an organisation suddenly gets access to a vast library of external data. It’s that those useful sources can be brought into GIS when required without establishing a separate sourcing, preparation, hosting and update process for each one.

A network planner, environmental analyst and land specialist may use very different parts of the catalogue.

Idox Geospatial can help organisations identify which datasets available through theMapCloud add useful context to their own information, and where consuming maintained data through web services could be more efficient than managing those sources internally.

How we can help

If you can't find exactly what you need, we can help you choose the right mapping data solution for your project via email, chat or over the phone.

For more information, reach out to our Customer Support team.

Need help with another topic? Learn more in our Knowledge Hub.