Spatial digital maps

In the second half of 2008, the first three-dimensional digital map software available in our country will enter the Polish market. The map is produced by the American-Canadian company Intermap. Digital maps available in our country so far are flat – two-dimensional. Soon, it will be possible to plan routes, reduce travel costs, or track and locate vehicles on visualizations that accurately reflect the Earth’s surface – exactly as it looks in reality.

Thanks to this digital, three-dimensional map base, it will be possible to create, for example, simulations of flood or landslide threats in specific areas, which will contribute to the proper execution of municipal spatial development plans, the designation of safe routes for roads and highways (or the correction of existing ones) – avoiding zones threatened by, for example, floods or landslides. Insurance companies will also be able to use the maps to determine areas of increased risk.

For transport, map bases will become the foundation for creating intelligent transport systems (ITS), which are becoming increasingly popular in developed countries, for trucks. The main benefit of these systems will be significant fuel savings, the purchase of which continues to be the main cost of doing business for Polish road transport companies. Cost reduction will be achievable by planning routes to avoid, for example, roads with steep terrain gradients.