Force showcases ground-breaking technology to The Princess Royal

Devon & Cornwall Police has showcased its ground-breaking technology that builds 3D imagery to assist with security and event planning to The Princess Royal.

On Thursday 15 February 2024, Senior Mapping Officer Robert Goldsmith and Firearms Inspector Billy Elliott were invited to present the Force’s geographic information system (GIS) technology at the Ordnance Survey (OS) Headquarters in Southampton.

Ordnance Survey held its first emergency services showcase, inviting key representatives from police, fire and ambulance, HM Coastguard, Mountain Rescue and the military to show how they use cutting edge OS location data and tools to create a resilient and safe nation.

Devon & Cornwall Police were invited to help showcase how other police forces can utilise this data to protect and safeguard the public.

The Force has been working collaboratively with OS since the G7 summit in 2021 but have since used their own capability to gather geospatial intelligence, allowing them to build 3D imagery of towns and other areas. This assists in tactical analysis such as, planning for an operation and understanding nighttime economies.

Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce, of Devon & Cornwall Police, said: “It is a privilege to have been invited to the Ordnance Survey headquarters and present the Force’s innovative mapping technology to The Princess Royal.

“This state-of-the-art GIS software was used to enhance safety measures during the annual gathering of policy leaders from seven of the world’s major democracies at the G7 summit. The team created precise 3D digital models of the G7 sites, which were then used to plan the police and security operation.

Since then, Devon & Cornwall Police has gone on to win the prestigious Geospatial World Excellence Award in the category of Public Safety for the ground-breaking use of this technology. It’s a tribute to the hard work put in by the team and shows just how valuable this kind of technology can be in providing a better service to the public.”

Senior Mapping Officer Robert Goldsmith said: “Having been given the support from our Executive to continue our 3D mapping project post G7, I am proud to represent UK policing and showcase our progress in front of Princess Anne and the other guests.

“Devon & Cornwall Police is recognised as the Force at the forefront of this emerging 3D technology and we use this in everyday policing work. By using a combination of drones and a 60k LiDAR scanner, it can provide detailed scans of big outdoor venues like football stadiums or festival sites, as well as crime scenes.

“We’ve been pioneering the use of GIS technology for a few years now, using it to save huge amounts of time when planning large operations and helping with investigations. The accuracy of the 3D models we can create is incredible, there’s just a handful of millimetres difference.”