Farm News
Ordnance Survey creates new data layer of hedges
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SOME 373 , 919KM OF ENGLAND ’ S farmland hedges have been accurately mapped to create a new digital dataset , OS Landscape Features Layer , which will be used by the Rural Payments Agency ( RPA ). The new dataset will play an important role in the RPA ’ S administration of the Common Agriculture Policy ( CAP ).
CAP Regulations require effective administrative controls to be established , and for hedges declared as Basic Payment Scheme ( BPS ) Ecological Focus Areas ( EFAs ), this means creating a control layer of mapped hedges against which subsidy claims can be checked . The aim of the project was to automate the identification and mapping of hedges in a repeatable business process using imagery and height data products , and producing consistent results that are far more effective than costly manual data capture .
The hedgerow ’ s value has risen in recent times , due to its capacity to protect against soil erosion and help reduce pollution , and with its increasing use in water supply management and flood control . The hedgerow manages to do all of this while still being home and larder to a rich collection of insects , birds and mammals . The mapping of hedges is beneficial to other environmental policy areas such as the Rural Development Countryside Stewardship Scheme , where the management and improvement of hedges are key options for improving the habitats for invertebrates and over-wintering birds .
In the Autumn of 2014 , the RPA asked Ordnance Survey ( OS ) to map every hedge in farmland England . Working closely alongside the RPA team , the OS Product and Remote Sensing teams identified a process of capturing this iconic feature of the English countryside .
The project team introduced a newly developed system automatically to capture the new hedge data layer . The new system enables hedges to be identified and classified from high resolution aerial imagery and height information where OS digital mapping already shows field boundaries . The new technology is now fully embedded into the Ordnance Survey process with seamless updates being made on a daily basis .
Currently , OS has collected and mapped 95 % of this data , with the final 5 % in line to be processed in early 2017 . The new dataset will continue to be maintained with change updates being supplied to the RPA .
PROSPECTS FOR UK AGRICULTURE
Catherine Gladstone , OS Product Manager , says : “ It ’ s been a fascinating project using new technology to deliver a vital dataset that supports our government colleagues and their customers ( the farmer ). As our technology continues to evolve and improve , so too does the depth and richness of our data , and with the data visualisations we produce , the opportunities for swifter and better decision making in government and business are often there . From a personal perspective , it ’ s pleasing that we ’ ve been able to help farmers that are using their hedges to protect the environment and encourage wildlife receive recognition .”
In summary , the RPA will be using OS ’ s newly created data layer to validate subsidy claims from 2017 , where farmers and land managers have declared hedges as part of EFA . RPA will also provide farmers and land managers with this spatial information to incorporate into their land management plans .
HEDGE TRIVIA :
• The total length of farmland hedges in England is 373,919 km - enough to wrap itself around the Earth more than nine times .
• There is almost enough farmland hedges in England to touch the moon ( earth to the moon is 384,400 km ).
• The average length of an English hedge is approx imately 40 metre .
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