Off-Site Insight by First Base Solutions

Another year has flown by quickly At First Base Solutions, we're wrapping up our 16th year of serving Ontario's top companies with aerial imagery and geographic services. Here's just a few of the highlights: Jet Setting We've upgraded our technology with a new camera! We were busy flying and collecting aerial imagery around the GTA including Simcoe, Peel, York, Toronto, and Durham. The new imagery is available for sale on MapWarehouse and added to the collections in VuMAP . New 2016 Aerial Imagery Coverage

LiDAR Elevation Models Coming To MapWarehouse First Base Solutions is pleased to announce we have recently entered a data provider agreement with Airborne Imaging Inc . Since 2004, Airborne has collected LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) elevation data across Canada and the United States for use in oil and gas, mining, legal survey, engineering, power, and government sectors.

The data isn't old, it's established Fifteen years isn't long in geological time. So is it really worth your time to look for updated mapping if you're only interested in geological features or other map data that won't change at all in your relatively short human lifetime? Probably not. One question we often get from customers is, "Don't you have anything newer?"

New merger enhances services to Guelph area clients We are pleased to announce that J.D. Barnes Limited has acquired Black, Shoemaker, Robinson & Donaldson Limited , effective October 31, 2016. Serving Guelph and surrounding regions, BSR&D Ltd. is a firm specializing in Land Surveying and Land Use Planning.

East Meets West First Base Solutions is pleased to announce we have recently entered a partnership with Tarin Resource Services of Alberta.  In the coming months, First Base customers will see Tarin's aerial imagery covering Alberta added to our MapWarehouse store and MapCast WMS alongside our own Ontario data sets.

Quick overview of the VuMAP Toolbox Drawing Tool Draw lines or closed shapes over the map, name and save your sketch under the "My Marks" tab. 

Fun on the farm Ontario farms have expanded into family entertainment destinations in the last few years - and it's not just your typical hay rides anymore. Check out these large scale corn maze designs from the air!

Best $100 per month investment for your business For a lot of us, $100 is a tank of gas. If you use that $100 tank of gas to drive your crew and equipment out to investigate various work sites, add your labour costs, plus any lost opportunity costs while your assets and gear are tied up on the road. That $100 tank of gas actually costs your business far more than face value.

Underground cable and pipe utility locating services throughout Ontario First Base Solutions is pleased to announce that OnSite Locates Inc. has merged with our parent company, JD Barnes effective September 1st, 2016.

Troubleshooting Login Errors There are few things more frustrating than get locked out of an account right when you need fast access the most. Here's the top three most common scenarios users encounter and how to fix them. If you have other difficulties with our services, please contact customer service at support@firstbasesolutions.com .

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll learn! If you want to quickly learn how to use a WMS (web mapping service) to stream aerial imagery and geographic data into your desktop GIS or CAD software, or just want to improve your skills and learn a few tricks of the trade, this video will get you up to speed quickly with real world examples. Watch the videos and follow the transcript below.

Hubs of the community Toronto is one the most culturally diverse cities in the world! Check out these beautiful works of religious architecture from our aerial imagery in Toronto and surrounding area.

Before and after urban disasters A rare event, but there have been quite a few in the last couple of years. Our aerial imagery captures the before and after of these urban disasters.

Price drop across the board First Base Solutions is pleased to announce that effective immediately, non-current orthophoto (aerial imagery) will be offered at a reduced price through MapWarehouse . It's not a sale or a promotion, it's a long term price drop across the board.

RAQ's: Rarely asked questions Anyone's who purchased aerial imagery or mapping data through MapWarehouse is familiar with the quick delivery of a zip folder containing a bunch of cryptically named files.   Did you know the string of numbers actually means something useful? By interpreting the file names you can find: The data type (orthophoto, parcel, contours...) The UTM coordinates of the file's insertion point The year the data was produced The data provider (FBS, Teranet, TRCA...)

Hurry, this deal ends September 30, 2016  If you've thought about trying MapCast , now's the time. MapCast gives you unlimited access to Ontario's largest WMS (web mapping service), delivering a base layer of current and historical high resolution aerial imagery and elevation contours directly into the CAD or GIS software you already use. Simply add data to your map project and choose a connection to MapCast instead of data stored locally. Connect to MapCast with the software you already use! Learn More: Download the MapCast Sellsheet

You paid for it and you just want to print it, but where is it? Through your Real Estate Board or GeoWarehouse, Zoom2It provides a quick and inexpensive way to access aerial imagery with embedded Teranet property boundary mapping without the need for any special software. Real estate marketing can be difficult - especially for vacant land, and large or irregularly shaped properties that are difficult to show from the road. Zoom2It images are ideal for this purpose!

Conservation Authority Collaborative Information Sessions Join First Base Solutions in Guelph, June 7th - 9th, 2016, for the 10th annual Conservation Authority Collaborative Information Sessions . First Base Solutions is proud to be a vendor at this year’s event.  Say hello, stay and chat, watch a demonstration. Learn how to integrate our mapping technology into your conservation work. Related: Spatial Data Expedites Environmental Protection

Cheers or jeers, we want to hear it To get a promotion code for your next MapWarehouse purchase, simply tell us about your experiences so we can improve our sites and services. Related: Watch how to use a promotion code on MapWarehouse (Video) Here's how:

Fact: Sharing can make you popular ...and your friend will owe you a favour. To get a promotion code for your next MapWarehouse purchase, simply refer a colleague. We'll send your friend a promotion code too. Related: Watch how to use a promotion code on MapWarehouse (Video) Here's how:

Deals on geo data are just a click away There's a few simple ways to get a single use promotion code for 15% off at MapWarehouse , good for 60 days. Here's how: Related: Watch how to use a promotion code on MapWarehouse (Video)

Show & tell to get 15% off at MapWarehouse Did you use our imagery as a base layer to create something amazing in CAD or GIS? Any time you need a deal on your MapWarehouse purchase, simply share your work to get a promotion code for 15% off a single order, good for 60 days. Here's how: Related: Watch how to use a promotion code on MapWarehouse (Video)

Bonjour Law Clerks! Join First Base Solutions in Montreal, May 11-14 2016, for the 26th annual Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario Conference: Just For Law . First Base Solutions is proud to be a silver sponsor at this year’s event.  Visit our booth, stay and chat, watch a demonstration. Learn how to integrate our mapping technology into your legal work. Related: Law Of The Land - Use mapping and aerial imagery to enhance your legal research

Real estate deals to die for? Real estate is not for the faint of heart. Bidding wars can get outrageously expensive in Canada's biggest cities, and buyers in these hot markets often have to go in with no inspections or conditions, or even sight unseen to make their strongest offer. With all the competition, would you consider buying a property or living in a home knowing a violent crime had taken place in order to get a slashed price?

Law of the Land: Safari Bar and Grill Inc., 2008 No matter what kind of law you practice, brushing up on your geography skills can help you quickly get to the root of land based legal research. Read below to see how mapping and aerial imagery is being utilized in Canadian law: Related: Law Of The Land

Law of the Land: Smed v. Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club, 2011 No matter what kind of law you practice, brushing up on your geography skills can help you quickly get to the root of land based legal research. Read below to see how mapping and aerial imagery is being utilized in Canadian law: Related: Law Of The Land

Use mapping and aerial imagery to enhance your legal research Maps are an essential tool to interpret other documents. Visual materials are naturally easy to present and explain to others. No matter what kind of law you practice, brushing up on your geography skills can help you quickly get to the root of land based legal research. Read below to see how mapping and aerial imagery is being utilized in Canadian law.

Law of the Land: Goode v. Hudon, 2005 No matter what kind of law you practice, brushing up on your geography skills can help you quickly get to the root of land based legal research. Read below to see how mapping and aerial imagery is being utilized in Canadian law: Related: Law Of The Land

Key concepts in digital mapping for professionals in any industry Maps have great visual appeal. They're easy to understand and interpret. They make boring data look like extraordinary data. They help you interpret other types of documents. They are time stamped objective records of the past. They're also inexpensive and easy to get. With so many compelling reasons to use maps in your day to day work more often, read on to learn some basic map reading skills to help you use modern mapping more effectively.

Unlimited access to Ontario's largest web mapping service Access all of First Base Solutions' aerial imagery and elevation contours served directly into your desktop CAD or GIS software with MapCast. Connect to MapCast with the software you already use!

Taking flat images to new heights About Where the most current mapping data possible is required for site development, asset inventories, or land use planning, First Base Solutions is well equipped to undertake complex, highly detailed custom mapping of your site. We offer full service map production beginning with acquiring custom aerial imagery from our own aircraft to ensure the features in the final mapping are up to date and at the level of detail you need. We delineate the ground feature types you request, and even produce 3D digital models of the terrain . All this comes at a fraction of the price of labour-intensive field surveys and traditional mapping methods.

Pre-order aerial imagery for the Spring 2016 flying season We own a fleet of Cessna aircraft equipped with high resolution cameras ready to capture aerial imagery across North America and the Caribbean, plus image processing and related mapping services.