Council technician puts himself on the map

The cartographic skills of one of the Council's senior technicians have been recognised at a national level by the British Cartographic Society.

Peter Alexander, who is based in the Planning & Development Service at Highland Council HQ received his awards at a ceremony pn 10 June held in Nottingham. Peter received the Ordnance Survey mastermap award in the "Better Mapping" category as well as the British Cartographic Society's overall award for his map which identifies in a straightforward and eye-catching way the major developments taking place around the city.

The judges were impressed by the way in which Mastermap, an Ordnance Survey product, was used creatively to define colours and textures to render a semi-realistic impression of the City of Inverness while maintaining the precision and "feel" of the original ordnance survey product.

Councillor Ian Ross, Chairman of the Council's Planning Environment and Development Committee congratulated Peter on his awards. He said: "This national award shows the high esteem that the Council's technical staff are held in within their field of expertise. This was a UK-wide competition and Peter has done exceptionally well to not just receive one award, but to carry off the overall award as well."

Previous winners of this prestigious award have included HarperCollins Publishers, the Environmental Research & Assessment (ERA).