What is Nearmap?
Nearmap is an Australian aerial imagery company, founded in Perth, that captures high-resolution photos of cities and towns from aircraft and sells access to them online for planning, construction and insurance.
Nearmap's technology uses special camera systems mounted on aircraft to capture images that are much more detailed than most satellite images. Surveys are repeated regularly, so customers can see how places change over time.
Customers include councils, builders, roofing companies, solar installers, insurers and government agencies. They use the images to measure roofs, check property boundaries and plan projects without visiting sites.
Growth
Nearmap expanded from Australia to the United States, New Zealand and Canada. It offers 3D models and artificial intelligence tools that identify features such as pools, roofs and trees.
The company was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange for many years before being bought by the American private equity firm Thoma Bravo in 2022.
Aerial imagery is also useful after disasters, helping insurers and emergency services see damage quickly without sending people into dangerous areas. Nearmap is one of several Australian companies that turned a local technology idea into an international business.
Did You Know?
Nearmap imagery has been used to assess damage after bushfires, floods and cyclones.