Firefighters were treated to a royal visit during an emergency services showcase.
The crew from St Mary’s in Southampton got the chance to meet Princess Anne on Thursday.
Her Royal Highness was given a tour of the Ordnance Survey (OS) headquarters in Adanac Drive before meeting with the emergency services.
The fire crew from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Service (HIWFRS) were joined by members of the service’s resilience team and wildlife officers.
Neil Odin, chief fire officer, was also in attendance to explain how they utilise the mapping agency’s technology to assist them when responding to incidents.
Speaking on the visit, he said: “It’s wonderful to be here today to meet Her Royal Highness and showcase how the mapping tools which Ordnance Survey has produced help our crews every day when responding to incidents.
“The systems developed allow us to identify the risk-information for buildings before we arrive on scene, ensuring our teams are prepared for the emergencies they face.
“The technology is also a vital tool for our firefighters at wildfire incidents, helping them to understand the geography of the land affected.”
READ MORE: Princess Anne visits the hospital that bears her name
The Princess Royal was then given an exclusive preview of the OS Emergency Services ‘Gazetteer’, a new product due to be launched in the spring.
The gazetteer is a comprehensive and maintained database of locations, currently containing 1.3 million features such as motorway junctions and roundabouts.
Developed in close collaboration with the emergency services, it is particularly effective in identifying the location of those areas that have no addresses, like named cliffs and waterfalls.
🗺️ Firefighters met The Princess Royal during yesterday’s emergency services showcase event in Southampton.
— Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service (@HantsIOW_fire) February 16, 2024
The #HIWFRS team explained how they utilise @OrdnanceSurvey’s technology to assist them when responding to incidents 👉 https://t.co/cIIeSNfFjE
📸Pics by @OrdnanceSurvey pic.twitter.com/9mcVMt42O2
It is designed to equip responders with the precise location information they need to act quickly to save lives and property during emergencies.
Chief executive officer at OS, Nick Bolton said: “I was incredibly proud to welcome Her Royal Highness to our showcase event, to see at first-hand how OS is supporting the emergency services in keeping the nation safe.
“We have a longstanding and close relationship with the blue light community and this was an excellent moment to reflect on how OS technology, services and products – such as the new OS Emergency Services Gazetteer – are making a difference to the services they provide on a minute by minute basis.”
The Princess Royal also had the opportunity to watch a demonstration of the recently launched ‘Vernacular Names’ tool.
This will help power the gazetteer with colloquial nicknames for features, landmarks and buildings – with a new name added thanks to The Princess Royal.
She added ‘the wedding cake’ to the data base - an alternative name for the Queen Victoria Memorial, which is situated opposite Buckingham Palace in London.
The first-of-its-kind event saw representatives from HIWFRS, South Central Ambulance Service, Devon and Cornwall Police, HM Coastguard, Mountain Rescue and Ministry of Defence demonstrate how they use cutting edge and up-to-date OS location data and tools to create a resilient and safe nation.
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