According to AFP, detailed maps compiled by the UK's Ordnance Survey (OS) are becoming an important tool to help the country monitor the impact of climate change and proactively respond to natural disaster situations.
OS infrastructure and transportation expert Tom Gray believes that there is no clearer way to see the impact of climate change than by observing a traditional map.
At the OS headquarters in the port city of Southampton, southern England, hundreds of employees are tasked with collecting and updating data for the national geographical database. This system stores more than 600 million data on buildings, routes and infrastructure across England, from buildings, lampposts to trash cans, and is updated about 30,000 times per day.
OS began mapping England 230 years ago, thereby recording changes in the country's terrain and living environment.
According to Mr. Gray, this change largely stems from human activity, but the direct impact of climate change is also increasingly apparent, especially in river and coastal areas.
From map data, experts can identify areas at risk of subsidence, forest fires or flooding. Among them, flooding is considered one of the biggest climate threats to Britain.
Mr. Gray said that 12% of the UK's strategic road network and 20% of the railway network are located in areas at highest risk of flooding.
Map data is also used by emergency forces to identify high-risk flooding points, find access to affected areas and develop response plans.
On Wight Island, coastal erosion once forced OS to urgently survey and update data. This information helps rescue forces and local authorities identify areas that may need to cut off water, gas or evacuate people.
Ms. Helen Jones - one of the 21 drone pilots of OS - said that data collected from the air helps quickly update maps when terrain changes, especially in new residential areas, thereby supporting rescue forces in responding to forest fires and floods.
Images from the drone are transferred to the OS headquarters for processing, helping to update maps with accuracy up to 1cm. After 7 years of surveying, Ms. Jones realized that the impact of climate change is increasingly clear, in the context that the UK has just experienced the driest July ever recorded.
