Digital 3D model of Blackpool Pleasure Beach to aid emergency services

Blackpool Pleasure Beach has been mapped in 3D to allow for more effective emergency planning.

The Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) created the model of the iconic amusement park in partnership with Ordnance Survey (OS) and the Lancashire Local Resilience Forum (LRF), to provide emergency services with more precise and shared spatial understandings in what is a very dense and vertical environment.

Tim Murrell, Drone Manager at LFRS, and the Drone & Robotics Lead at the National Fire Chiefs Council, said that the site provided a “challenging environment” for the team to develop their skills.

He said: “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."

LRFS was able to capture high overlap drone imagery after being trained by OS consultants. This imagery was then processed into a high resolution 3D mesh model.

The model was connected with a separate 3D mesh of the surrounding town provided by OS. This more comprehensive visualisation of the site and its vicinity is expected to support improved operational planning; scenario modelling and training; enhanced shared situational awareness; as well as safety and efficiency.

Kevin Topping, Chair of the LRF Lancashire Emergency Response Plan Sub Group, said that the development fits into Lancashire Local Resilience Forum’s “long history of innovation”.

He said: “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."

OS 3D mapping has been used by other emergency organisations and local authorities in response to incidents in the past; OS geospatial experts were tasked with aiding Devon and Cornwall Police with a major evacuation, and helping the Isle of Wight Council following a landslip.

The organisation’s "3D Mesh" consists of a photorealistic 3D basemap created from imagery captured by the OS National Geographic Database.

The product allows for immersive visualisations alongside detailed analysis in areas such as urban planning, telecoms modelling, security and flood risk assessment, and emergency planning.