Buller District Council releases new public map viewer
Buller District Council (BDC) has released an updated public online map service, called Bullerview, which replaces the previous content for the Buller District available through the West Coast Regional Council’s (WCRC) WestMaps viewer.
Bullerview contains up-to-date BDC data for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater assets, plus the latest Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) property data such as parcel boundaries, legal descriptions and Certificate of Title information, as well as rating information.
The older WestMaps viewer utilises basemap imagery dating back to 2016, whereas Bullerview uses LINZ Data Service basemap imagery, which combines the latest imagery compiled from different sources.
The WestMaps viewer will continue to function, as the WCRC is not ready to retire its software at present, however, the dated Buller District Council Three Waters content will be removed from the system and be replaced with a link to Bullerview.
A round of new aerial imagery was co-funded by the Buller, Grey and Westland District Councils and the West Coast Regional Council in collaboration with LINZ in 2024.
Initial development of the Bullerview platform cost BDC $7,000, and now it is in place, will allow council to share other data, such as hazards and liquor ban areas, in a format that is up to date, easily understood and accessible. Due to the aerial survey being well overdue, these costs would have been committed regardless of a new map viewer being implemented.
Group Manager Infrastructure Services Anthony Blom says: “This cost share arrangement provided two major benefits for the councils: firstly, the cost borne to each council was reduced, as LINZ also paid for a share of the project costs.
“Secondly, once the imagery is acquired, LINZ processes the individual tiles into the appropriate format for GIS mapping, and geolocates each image so it is displayed correctly on the maps.”
Aerial Surveys Ltd was contracted to carry out the image acquisition using a light aircraft fitted with special cameras and software.
The overall project scope calls for the re-flying of virtually all the Buller District, at varying resolutions. Aerial imagery of urban areas was captured at 0.10 GSD (ground sample distance, equivalent to 0.1 m per pixel) in December 2024, and the remaining rural areas will be captured at 0.25 GSD by early 2026, as weather and sun angles permit.
Mr Blom continues: “LINZ has made the imagery available online to businesses and the general public nationwide, free of charge, and the four councils acknowledge LINZ’s significant contribution to the project.”
A viewer guide is available, which shows users new to Bullerview the basic functions and tools available within the maps.
At present, Bullerview is available in desktop version only. Planned improvements include a mobile-friendly version of the map, which will be available in late 2025.
“This upgrade is a great improvement, which provides Buller residents and interested parties access to the most up-to-date, accurate and detailed urban imagery for meeting their landscape-scale mapping needs, district-wide” concludes Mr Blom.
Bullerview went live on Monday 1 September and is free to use. The portal can be accessed online here.
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For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz
Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.