April 12, 2012

MEDIA RELEASE
Canterbury Maps goes live

Canterbury Maps, a joint data-sharing initiative by all the territorial authorities in Canterbury, is now live online. The new website – www.canterburymaps.govt.nz – features detailed maps and background data drawn from across the Canterbury region. Best of all, all the information is free to use.

The Canterbury Maps project has been co-ordinated by staff at Environment Canterbury Regional Council working with staff at Kaikoura District Council, Hurunui District Council, Waimakariri District Council, Christchurch City Council, Selwyn District Council, Ashburton District Council, Waimate District Council, Mackenzie District Council, Timaru District Council and Waitaki District Council.

At the website’s official launch at Canterbury’s Mayoral Forum on Friday 5 April, Mayor of Timaru Janie Annear welcomed the initiative. “Canterbury Maps is a great way to enable people in all walks of life – from schoolchildren to software specialists – to view and use maps based on real map data and to learn more about our region,” she says.

It’s simple to get started with Canterbury Maps. The map carousel and the map gallery on the site’s homepage link to a wide range of available maps – including detailed land and property information, data on the region’s water and air quality, council services and local attractions.

The site has a built-in map viewer which allows the maps to be manipulated by the user, including zoom and measurement functions, selecting of areas and map layers, drawing and annotation of the maps. Pop-up information boxes link to the raw background data that sits on council websites across the region.

An advanced viewer is also available on the site, suitable for more professional users including resource management consultants and planners. There are also useful links to geographical information system tools for serious software and app developers.

For further instructions about Canterbury Maps, including more on how to get started on the site, see the document attached.

Getting_started_with_Canterbury_Maps.pdf

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