Pear are moving
Pear are moving!
We’re excited to announce that on 1st July 2025 Pear will be moving to a fantastic new office location at Gatcombe House, Copnor Road, Hilsea, Portsmouth, PO3 5EJ! This move marks an exciting new chapter for us, providing a larger and more modern space.
The move itself will take place over the next week from 23rd June, and while we’re working hard to make the transition as smooth as possible, we apologise for any potential disruption to our technical support service during this period.
If you find it difficult to get through to us by phone over the next week, please don’t hesitate to email us, and we’ll be sure to return your call as soon as we can. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Important Information for Map Amendments
For anyone with outstanding map amendments, please take note of our new address at
Pear Technology Services Ltd
Gatcombe House
Copnor Road
Hilsea
Portsmouth
PO3 5EJ
We kindly ask that you check our updated address before returning any maps to us to ensure they reach us safely.
New Council Case Studies
New Case Studies
Great news! We’ve just added new council and cemetery case studies to the Pear Technology website, showcasing how our mapping solutions are making a real difference for our clients.
Discover How Pear Technology is Empowering Local Councils
These new case studies offer a fascinating look at the diverse ways Pear Technology’s expertise and PearGIS software are being used to solve real-world challenges for local councils.
- Chippenham Neighbourhood Plan: Read how our mapping services and solutions are invaluable to town planning and community development.
- Ross-on-Wye Wayfinding Measurements: Learn how we helped modernise town centre signage by providing precise wayfinding measurements using our new PearGIS software.
- Henley-on-Thames Cemetery Management: Discover how an interactive online map revolutionised cemetery and burial record management for the council.
These stories highlight our commitment to providing tailored, effective mapping solutions. We invite you to explore these new case studies and see the tangible benefits our clients are experiencing.
Ready to learn more? Head over to our council mapping solutions page to read the full case studies!
Been inspired to take on a mapping project of your own? Has your council used Pear’s mapping software to help revolutionise grounds management or events? We’d love to hear from you – get in touch today!
Cereals 2025
Cereals 2025
We are excited to announce that Pear Technology will be attending Cereals at Heath Farm, Leadenham, Lincs LN5 0QE on 11-12 June.
Cereals is the UK’s flagship arable event with over 420 leading suppliers showcasing the latest innovations, products and expert advice.
We’ll be demonstrating the latest PearGIS software developments, OTISS, and GNSS surveying hardware and our team will be available to discuss how our solutions and services can help your business.
If you are attending, stop by and see us on stand 218 in the Business, Innovation, Energy & Diversification zone.
Entrance to the show costs just £15 if tickets are purchased online by June 11th; or are available on site for £20 11/12 June.
We hope to see you there!
Upcoming Events in 2025
Upcoming Events in 2025
We’ve updated our events calendar. Visit https://peartechnology.co.uk/about-us/events-calendar/ to find out which events, shows and conferences we will be attending in the upcoming year.
Shows and conferences are a fantastic opportunity to see our software in action and ask questions. Try out our range of GPS handheld equipment and learn more about how mapping software can improve your businesses efficiency.
We look forward to seeing you this year!
Latest in Rural
The latest updates in the Rural Sector for 2023, our upcoming PearGIS updates and some of our upcoming ventures for the year.
Rural Mapping Services Newsletter
Pear Technology at the Farm Business Innovation Show 2018 [Stand 2884]
Pear Technology will be exhibiting at the Farm Business Innovation Show this week on 7th & 8th November. You can get yourself free tickets from the link below. Find us on stand 2884.
We have a range of new items to show you including the online MapShop, new GPS devices, more government datasets and a look at future developments.
Freddie Ryan and Charlie Farrington who both look after the rural sector will be at the show, accompanied by Jonathan Smith and Mark Lloyd across the two days.
We hope to see as many of our existing customers as possible as well as all other visitors who have an interest in digital mapping.
NALC Digital Mapping Workshop: Harnessing Local Knowledge
Pear Technology are excited to be running a workshop at next week’s NALC Annual Conference in collaboration with GeoXphere and Bluesky.
The workshop will spread the word about how councils should be using digital mapping to harness local knowledge in order to better understand and serve their local area. Digital mapping can seem daunting at first but our workshop will help explain the different options available and demystify the process of putting your council on the map.
The workshop will be held on 30th October at 16.00 – 17.00 and again at 17.00 – 18.00 in the Explorer room.
To read more about the workshop and conference in general visit the NALC website here:- https://www.nalc.gov.uk/annualconference
To read more about Pear Technology and GeoXphere’s partnership agreement you can read our press release here:- https://peartechnology.co.uk/geoxphere-and-pear-technology.
APF Show 2016
Pear Technology are exhibiting at the APF show from the 15th to the 17th September 2016 at the Ragley Estate.
Jonathan Smith, Mark Lloyd and Adrian Parker will be on stand D11a.
Discounts are available during the show so please come and see us to find out more.
The Arboricultural Association’s National Amenity Conference
Pear Technology are exhibiting at the Amenity Conference in Staffordshire from the 4th to the 7th September, 2016.
Jonathan Smith and Mark Lloyd will be on stand 41 so please come and say hello!
Consulting Arborist Society
Pear Technology are sponsoring the Consulting Arborist Society report writing seminar at Minerva Mill, Alcester on 30th June 2016.
We will be available on the day to provide information about our software and give demonstrations.
For more information please click here.
Pear Technology – Press – Celebrating 20 years
Local Company Celebrates 20th Anniversary Milestone!
We are ecstatically proud to announce that last year Hampshire based company, Pear Technology, reached its 20th Anniversary!
Founded in 1995 by John Cowling & quickly becoming licenced partners of Ordnance Survey, the creative business has grown massively into a leading developer & supplier of digital map editing software for land management.
With an expanding customer base and 20 years of knowledge, the Pear Technology team have turned into expert consultants offering specialised software, training & a full map preparation service to get everyone going. The full shebang!
Estates, farms, arboriculturists and council’s nation-wide have enlisted the product as a core land management tool. Over the 20 years, Pear Technology has mapped nearly 2 million hectares of the UK!
To match workload the office has expanded. Holding space in Havant, the company now has more employees than ever, including whizzy placement students and postgraduates from the University of Portsmouth.
Ever growing in presence, most recently the company has seen the launch of a brand new website, www.peartechnology.co.uk. Take a look, or Tweet us @PearTechnology.
This year, with the calendar full of shows, conferences, and client meetings we are excitedly awaiting all that is to come!
Congratulations Pear Technology, here’s to another 20 years of digital mapping action!
Reporter: Lizzy N
Interview with our Software Engineering placement student Sam Davies
The company has grown so much over the last 20 years that in 2014 Pear Technology was able to offer a student work placement. This came in the form of Sam Davies, a Software Engineering student from Portsmouth University; who provided us with extra brain power for new program developments. Read his interview below:
Q. So Sam, what made you decide you would like to apply to take a placement year working at Pear Technology?
A. I wanted to try something new. I’d never worked with anything to do with mapping before and I found this really interesting – it would be cool to work with maps. I also knew that digital mapping would have a visual element instead of the number crunching I had been doing – so this was particularly appealing to me.
Q. Tell us a bit about the work you have done at Pear?
A. I’ve been working on a new software product. It’s exciting seeing it progress so quickly and working out the best way for it to evolve. It brings in visual graphics which is really good fun. I enjoy taking the product from a shell and making it become functional in the best possible way for our customers. I’ve also been heavily involved in finishing off the new website and filling in the gaps to make sure all the content is up there. I am sure that this will go some way to help people who are interested in our products and services. You can’t just chuck it all up there-you have to think about what the customers want to have access to – so it is exciting.
Q. Tell us about your experience working for Pear from your first day to now?
A. Of course it was daunting on my first day! Before I started I wasn’t exactly sure what Pear Technology did – but I know pretty much what Pear is and does now. I initially felt nervous changing my colleagues programming codes. Taking more things on I’ve grown in confidence and now I am fully incorporated within the team. As my knowledge of the business improved it became much easier to communicate, contribute in meetings and manage my projects as well as other people. Everyone has been so helpful. I started with one project, but now I have three which can be a bit of a challenge as you can’t dedicate all of your time to all of the projects, at once. I think I’m spreading my time well across all three of them but we’ll see!
Q. What has been your most challenging task so far?
A. I’d say it’s just not being afraid. It’s important to ask as many questions as you need to really fine tune what is wanted and to be forthcoming enough to propose new ideas. Everyone at Pear is extremely supportive and encouraging – so I quickly learnt it was fine to be brave. Also the website- it is challenging producing something which satisfies the business requirements as well as the customer’s requirement. Someone going onto the website might want to find a certain piece of information, but at the same time we have to present what we do, make sure it’s all easy to read and very accessible as well as being simple to understand. It’s just sitting back and prioritising what is most important which is often quite challenging. I am proud of what we’ve achieved so far.
Q. What are the most important things you have learnt whilst working for the company?
A. I’ve learnt that I’m hard working and dedicated. I put in the extra hours and sometimes even weekends to get things done, so I’m quite tenacious. But on the flip side of that, I’ve also learnt it’s important to know when to take breaks. Sometimes it’s better to put something down and come back to it refocused. Being my first time in a proper company I’ve learnt a lot about how a business operates and how important communication is.
….I suppose I’m not that bad at programming (he giggles). It’s definitely given me more confidence to approach software tasks. I now know that this is something I want to continue to do.
Q. What have you enjoyed the most about Pear Technology?
A. Finally being able to take all the knowledge I’ve been learning at University doing a project for Pear has certainly been satisfying for me. I’d also certainly say the friendliness of everyone, and how easy it is to just turn around and ask somebody for their opinion. I think that that’s what you sometimes lose in a bigger company. We have also had some great days out and there is fun banter within the office which makes it a light atmosphere to come into every day. I really enjoy working at Pear.
Update 2016: Sam is now just about to finish his University degree and has successfully utilized his skills learnt with us by linking his final year project with Pear Technology development. Well done Sam!
February Council News
Wednesday 3rd February.
Philippa will be at the SLCC South East Regional Roadshow on Wednesday 3rd February at the Bridgewood Manor Hotel in Chatham. Come and talk to her for a demonstration of our mapping software to see how it can help you manage your land, assets, cemeteries, allotments and more.
Thursday 25th and Friday 26th February.
Chris will be attending the 10th SLCC Practitioners’ Conference on Thursday 25th and Friday 26th February in Stratford-upon-Avon.
A special Flood Risk Management session has been included in the programme on the Thursday afternoon led by the Flood Resilience Team Leader at the Environment Agency, Kevin Barnes. Come to our stand to see the riparian boundary map Pear Technology put together for Lydney Town Council showing the land ownership around the river Lyd. Lydney Town Council’s work instigating the Lydney Flood Defence meetings helped them to win NALC Council of the Week in 2015 – http://www.nalc.gov.uk/news/entry/372-council-of-the-week-lydney-town-council
Other News.
We will be welcoming South Petherton Parish Council as a new customer. South Petherton bought our mapping software after seeing its many uses at Shepton Mallett Town Council.
If you would like a demonstration of our software please call 02392 499689. We are happy to visit your council or to connect to your PC over the internet and provide a quick one-to-one informal demonstration.
Pear Technology 20th Anniversary
We are ecstatically proud to announce 2015 was a special year for Pear Technology as we celebrated our 20th Anniversary of providing land management software and digital mapping services!
Whether you are an existing or previous client, partner, or indeed someone we just like to keep in touch with, I’d like to give you the largest Thank You for your support and business over the past 20 years and on into the future as we make more developments and take increasing number of orders.
On our journey of GIS development and consultancy, we have become a devoted leading supplier of software and services to nearly 2000 loyal customers.
To our very first clients and to the most recent, your trust in our digital mapping solutions has made the celebration of our 20th Anniversary in 2015 possible! So again-Thank you!
Letter from our Managing Director, Chris Makin
As Managing Director of Pear Technology, I feel very honoured to have been given the opportunity to steer Pear Technology through the next phase of the company’s journey without the guiding light of our founder, John Cowling.
John has now officially retired from the day to day running of the company but his regular attendance at our quarterly operations meetings allows for an exchange of views and provides an arena for some strategic thinking. John has built up twenty years of knowledge about our market place and provides a good sounding board for new ideas and initiatives.
I am pleased to report that Pear enjoyed a very good trading performance for the year ending April 2015. The company posted its best ever sales performance resulting in year on year growth in turnover of 20%. We also added a further 186 new customers to our client base and maintained our relationship with our existing customers via our very personal Technical Support Service. The company was able to take on more staff during the year to support our business operations as well as providing work experience for a number of budding GIS experts still in education.
As with all companies that are pleasant to work with and within it is the people behind the emails and the website who make the difference. Here at Pear, we have a dedicated team of professionals who are prepared to go the extra mile to provide attentive customer support to our existing clients as well as drive long distances to give first hand demonstrations and training to our new and potential customers.
Finally I would like to add my thanks to all our customers for their continued support of our products and services and to all the staff at Pear, both past and present, who make coming to work at Pear a pleasure!
Kind Regards
Pear Technology Managing Director
Chris Makin
Farm Business Innovation Show 2015 – 11th & 12th November
Pear Technology are thrilled to announce that they will be exhibiting at the Farm Business & Innovation show on the 11th./12th. November at the NEC in Birmingham.
The Farm Business & Innovation shows is a large event that keeps Farmers, Land Managers, Glampers, Campers, Estate Owners and all sorts of other people up to date with the latest software, products and services that are available to help them manage their land and assets. It really is a great opportunity to explore avenues that you may have never thought of before and the whole show is an extremely well organised event. An added bonus is the number of useful and interesting seminars which are held throughout the two days which are short, punchy and topical.
Pear will be exhibiting on Stand 442 promoting our mapping software, new available datasets and various types of GPS equipment. We are excited to say that we have a specialist from Leica exhibiting with us who will be demonstrating a new range of devices that Pear will soon be selling. Pear will be introducing a new service which is our very own online ‘MapShop’ which allows customers to purchase OS MasterMap and OS VML data for a user defined area, 24 hours a day.
The show is also a great opportunity to meet some members of the Pear team. Freddie Ryan, who is managing the Farms and Estate Sector will be attending on both days along with a new colleague, Charlie Farrington, who is based down in the South West and has a strong background in the farming sector. In addition, the managing director Chris Makin, will be in attendance and is looking forward to meeting all existing and new customers.
We look forward to seeing you at the show.
Admission tickets, which are free, can be obtained by following the link below:-
http://www.eventdata.co.uk/Forms/Default.aspx?FormRef=FBIB5Visitor
Public Rights of Way data now available for the majority of the UK
Public Rights of Way data has recently become much more widely available and Pear Technology are pleased to offer the service of adding this information to your digital map.
Available on various Ordnance Survey raster tiles, Public Rights of Way information previously had to be purchased then painstakingly traced leaving some degree of inaccuracy. It can now be added to your digital map on its own layer, making it much easier to display and edit on your map. In PT-Mapper Pro, one click can tell you how long the footpath is and another can show you the route in Google Earth’s aerial view.
Subject to the data availability, we can provide you with a layer for each classification of the Public Rights of Way. These are:
- Footpaths – for walking, running or mobility vehicles.
- Bridleways – for walking, horse riding, cycling or mobility vehicles.
- Restricted Byways – for any transport without a motor and mobility vehicles.
- Byways Open to All Traffic (BOAT) – for any kind of transport, including cars but mainly used by walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
Landowners have responsibilities for the Rights of Way which fall on their land. Knowing where these routes are is the first step in ensuring compliance with environmental law!
Did you know?
- You are not allowed to grow crops on Public Rights of Way, although grass can be grown for hay and silage.
- Footpaths and Bridleways may not be ploughed unless they cross fields. Landowners must then supply an access route 1m – 2m wide respectively within 14 days of ploughing.
- You cannot put up gates or stiles without the local authorities permission.
If you would like Public Rights of Way information added to your map simply email info@peartechnology.co.uk or call us on 02392 499689 and we can check availability and provide a quote for the work.
RPA – Basic Payments Scheme Deadline
2016 Update: Please note RPA boundaries in a shapefile format are no longer available.
The Current Situation
With the announcement of the Basic Payment Scheme’s (BPS) withdrawal of their online mapping system, farmers are having to resort back to paper maps. Claim submission deadlines have been extended to the 15th June, 2015. However, the RPA have advised farmers to get their claims in as soon as possible to make sure guidance can be given where needed.
The RPA have been issuing more details on how farmers can claim for the BPS 2015 and have been distributing pre-populated BP5 claim forms to all registered cutomers of the Rural Payments online system.
How Pear Can help
Paper maps are fine and a lot of farmers will resort back to this traditional method but it is far too easy to create inaccuracies when using a felt tip on a paper map. PT-Mapper in comparison allows you to accurately update your farm to the nearest cm if needs be giving you realistic and reliable readings for your claims.
The RPA analyse Ordnance Survey MasterMap data, the most up to date and detailed data avaialble from the OS, to identify boundary amendments. The great benefit of our software is you can purchase the very same MasterMap data to check, identify and adjust your field boundaries to the appropriate position.
In addition to this, you can request your RPA field boundaries directly from the RPA in a ‘shapefile format’, for free. These files can then be easily imported straight into PT-Mapper showing you your field boundaries as well as any permanent ineligible features (PIF’s). From here you can edit the boundaries to follow the MasterMap data, measure distances yourself for the boundary to follow, use a handheld GPS device to plot points to map to, or link your fields to Google Earth and follow the aerial imagery.
To go one step further you can use our easy-to-use editing tools to create accurate buffer strips around your fields to calculate the exact area being farmed as well as Game Cover and grass margins.
It is time to get your field boundaries up to date and PT-Mapper is the perfect, simple and intuitive replacement to the BPS’ withdrawn system.
How to get started
- Download a trial of PT-Mapper to see how you like the system. Once you are happy, get in contact with us to purchase a full licence.
- Request your RPA shapefiles from the RPA
- Send us a plan of your farm so we can provide you with a quote for the Ordnance Survey MasterMap data required.
- Use our software to edit your field boundaries and gain precise hectarage for your farm
- Print the updated maps and fill in your BP5 form with your accurate, up to date figures and make your claim
Arb Newsletter – May 2015
Events
Pear Technology will be exhibiting and giving demonstrations at the following events.
| Month | Date | Event | Location |
Link |
| June | Friday 5th Saturday 6th |
The Arb Show |
Westonbirt Arboretum GL8 8QS |
http://www.trees.org.uk/training-events/The-ARB-Show |
| June | Wednesday 17th | Barchams Big Barn Day |
Ely, Cambs CB7 5XF |
http://www.bali.org.uk/news_events/events/946/barchams-2015-big-barn-conference |
| June | Tuesday 30th | Arb Association Scotland | Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh EH3 5NZ |
http://www.trees.org.uk/aa/branches/Scottish-SC.html |
| July / August | Friday 31st – Sunday 2nd | CLA Game Fair | Harewood House, Leeds, LS17 9LG | https://cla.yourticketbooking.com/p/CLAGameFair?REFID=GFHomepage |
| September | Thursday 10th Friday 11th |
Confor Woodland Show |
Longleat, Warminster, Wilts BA12 7NW | http://www.confor.org.uk/NewsAndEvents/Default.aspx?pid=174 |
| September | Sunday 20th – Wednesday 23rd | Arb Association Amenity Conference | The University of Warwick, Arts Centre CV4 7AL |
http://www.trees.org.uk/Amenity-Conference
http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/your-visit/
|
Leasing
We are now able to offer 3 year leasing options for both hardware and software. This allows payments to be spreads and set off against tax.
For further details, see our web site, or give me a call – Jonathan Smith 07593 299752
Software Development
PT Mapper Pro
-
Markers Tool – Includes option to add grid reference coordinates as labels
-
New Tree legend template – includes templates without tree shadow.
-
Fixed problem to do with Ordnance Vector Map Local TIFF files not loading correctly.
MapLink
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New draw circle tool added – allows units to be specified
-
Data verification – if 2 or more records have the same postcode there is now an option to click through all of them on the map pop up window
-
Off screen drawing is applied to all maps to improve the stability of the program while points and themes are being added
- Fixed problems with the print screen tool
TreeMinder
In TreeMinder reports it is now possible to choose how the report is filtered. There are 2 options on the report selection page:
-
Filter Style: Loose. This option works by using the criteria to narrow down the list of trees, however all work items are then shown for those trees, for example if you choose Remove :: Minor Dead Wood then the report includes all the information for any tree that includes that work type in its work list. This can be useful as it allows the complete situation to be seen for the trees of interest.
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Filter Style: Tight. This option applies the criteria more strictly and only shows information that exactly matches the criteria, for example if you choose Remove :: Minor Dead Wood then the report would only show that work item in its work list and any other work for that tree would be effectively hidden.
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A custom footer can now be added. The details can be entered on the report selection page.
Case Studies
We are keen to collect case studies and will provide a reward for those used. (eg 50% discount off your next year’s technical support). Please contact us if you have any cases you would like to share.
Map Shop
We are going to provide an online Map Shop and are inviting trial users – please let us know if you are interested.We have developed the Map Shop to provide you with instant access to the latest Ordnance Survey map data, whenever you need it. You will also be able to produce your own quotes before committing to buying the map. More details will be available soon.
Hardware Update
Android Pocket GIS is now becoming available – trial users are invited. Please let Pear Technology know if you are interested.
Trimble T41CG (default recommendation):
4.3″ screen, 800 x 480, Windows Mobile or Android option,
1-2 metre GPS 8mp camera, all day battery, IP68 £1,650
Panasonic Toughpad :
Windows 8 ,10″ screen, i5 processor, 3-5 metre GPS, IP65, 3 year warranty
http://business.panasonic.co.uk/computer-product/toughpad/fz-g1 £2,750
Getac T800:
Windows 8 tablet. 8″ screen 1280 x 800, 2.5m GPS
http://en.getac.com/tablets/T800/specs.html £1,600
Getac Z710:
Android tablet, 7″ screen, 1024 x 600, 5mp camera, 2.5m GPS
http://uk.getac.com/tablets/Z710/specs.html £ 995
Australian Version
We have now developed a version of our software for the Australian market and have a local distributor. If you would like further details, or know of anyone in Australia who might benefit from our system, please let me know.
We would also be interested in rolling out our software to other markets and would be happy to receive suggestions.
Group Training Days
We are considering running group training days, allowing for economical training and sharing of best practice. A minimum 5 trainees would be required. Cost TBC. Please let me know if you might be interested.
Tenders/Leads
Brighton and Hove -arboricultural services, due 26.05.15 see: http://www.sell2wales.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=APR080441
The Royal Parks – arboricultural advisory services, tender due 12.06.15: http://www.sell2wales.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY083526
English Heritage South East – Arboricultural Services – tender due 01.06.15: http://www.sell2wales.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAY082484
Local Councils
We have 200+ Local Council clients. Many of them have responsibility for the trees in their parish and could benefit from your services. You can then update their maps and records with your survey results, using Pear Technology’s system.
If you already provide services to Local Councils, please let me know and I will exclude those councils from our mailing.
If you do not wish to be included in the list of Pear Technology arboricultural consultants, within 30 miles of a given Local Council, please let me know.
Data sets available at Pear Technology
For more information on the Data Sets at Pear please see the links below:
PT Info- RPA Maps
PT Info- Land Registry
PT Info- Open Land Registry
PT Info- Data Sets
PT Guide- OS data F&E
Data Sets Prezi
For more information on the Data Sets at Pear please see the links below:
PT Info- RPA Maps
PT Info- Land Registry
PT Info- Open Land Registry
PT Info- Data Sets
PT Guide- OS data F&E
Farm Business Innovation and Country house Innovation Show
The Farm Business Innovation show is growing into its second year, Pear Technology will be exhibiting to share what we have been working on and what is happening in the world of mapping for rural market.
With last year’s success, the two days are expanding to incorporate the Country House Innovation show to host in one place everything innovative in the rural sector. As well as the exhibitors, there are going to be a diversity of speakers sharing the best ideas of rural development from the “Future of Diversification” to “How to grow your brand”. It promises to be a fascinating two days and best of all it is free for all to attend.
When:
Thursday 27th November 10am – 6pm
Friday 28th November 10am – 5pm
Where:
Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, London, W148UX
What Pear is doing at the show
Exhibiting
We will be showing how our software and services assist rural innovation and that as well as the latest Ordnance Survey large-scale maps, there is an increasing supply of freely available Governmental map data available to take advantage of. Access to this data from Land Registry, the Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Natural England, RPA is a key part of rural business management, and our products and services are designed to make this as useful as possible to you.
Seminars
We have been asked to present two seminars describing how the world of mapping and GIS is evolving for farms and estates, and the opportunities that are now at your fingertips.
Pear Technology’s Farm Business Innovation Seminar. Find out more.
Pear Technology’s Country House Innovation Seminar. Find out more.
Take a day or two out in London to experience the latest innovations taking place in the rural sector. It is going to be a great couple of days uncovering the latest ideas and opportunities available to you and your business. We look forward to seeing you there.
Getting free tickets
To get your free ticket for the show follow this link.
Links
Farm Business Innovation Show- http://www.thefarmingshow.co.uk/
FBI Seminars- http://www.thefarmingshow.co.uk/seminars/
FBI Free Tickets- https://tickets.prysmgroup.co.uk/farming/119/
Country House Innovation Show- http://www.countryhouseinnovation.co.uk/
CHI seminars- http://www.countryhouseinnovation.co.uk/speakers/
CHI Order Free Tickets- https://tickets.prysmgroup.co.uk/ctry/127/
The CLA Game Fair – 18-20 July 2014
What a great show the CLA Game Fair was. It was wonderful to meet so many new people and see so many existing customers. With all our new digital mapping options for estate and farm mapping there was a lot to talk about. The Basic Payment Scheme mapping was a hot topic and there is more to come on that front. Get in touch with Pear if there is anything more you would like to know.
Win a tablet
We are developing some great new ideas that utilise mobile technology to ensure you always have the right information wherever you are. To help you get the full picture we’ll be giving away a Galaxy Tab II smart tablet. Just enter your details below to enter the draw.
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Free Rural Payment Agency maps for digital mapping
Please note this article was written in 2014. You can find the latest way to download your RPA field boundaries by clicking on our new post here.
See note above. Click here for latest info.
Having Rural Payment Agency maps in digital format has many benefits to the landowner. Here’s how to get hold of them.
There are many advantages of having your RPA maps in digital map format within PT-Mapper compared to a simple PDF. In PT-Mapper you can select any map features to get measurements of area or length. It is also possible to make additional edits such as adding buffer strips, or splitting fields. By working with the data sourced from the RPA you can work with the certainty that you are operating with the approved data for your land. PT-Mapper will display the RPA field boundaries onto your existing maps with the field numbers and areas as specified by the RPA. You will then be able to treat them as you can anything else in PT-Mapper. Follow the steps outlined below to import them into the latest version of PT-Mapper.
How to obtain your maps
By Email
- Have ready your Business name and SBI number
- Email: csc@rpa.gsi.gov.uk and ask for the ‘shapefile’ of the RPA field boundaries for your Business name and SBI number. Request for the shapefile to be returned to your email address.
By Phone
- Have ready your SBI number & Business name to give to the operator
- Call: 03456 037777
- Choose the 5th option ‘Land and Mapping’
- Go through any security chekcs
- Asked to be emailed the ‘shapefiles’ RPA field boundaries, give the email address held on the RPA system for them to return the data to.
Importing the digital Map file into PTM
- Save the file returned from the RPA to an appropriate place on your computer, and ‘unzip’ the folder
- Within PT Mapper click – File> Import> Import RPA file
- Find the RPA file you have unzipped and click Open
- Your RPA Map should now be imported onto PT Mapper. If not, please contact us.
Pear Technology at the National Amenity Conference
Pear Technology will be attending the Arboricultural Association’s National Amenity Conference on the 15-16 September 2014 at Royal Holloway, University of London. For more information about the conference, click here.
Pear Technology at APF 2014
Pear Technology will be attending APF2014 – the UK’s largest forestry, woodland and arboricultural exhibition at the Ragley Estate, Alcester on 18-20 September 2014.
The introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS)
The new CAP Reform for farmers will be replacing the Single Payment Scheme in 2015 with the introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme. Get prepared by organising your maps quickly and easily with Pear Technology.
Pear’s rural land management mapping software, PT-Mapper, allows you to cover all the forthcoming requirements, including:
Greening
As a farmer, you will need to comply with three “greening measures”. These three measures will affect up to 30% of the BPS payment, so it is important to ensure you are compliant with the requirements. Additional EFA options may be added in time, but initially the three areas are:
Ecological Focus Areas
Buffer strips and hedges count as high importance EFAs and are weighted highly. However, farmers deciding to use hedgerows as part of their EFA could face a significant delay to their payment because of the mapping requirements. It is therefore important to submit suitably mapped claims as soon as possible.
Crop diversification
Environmentally beneficial crops, such as nitrogen fixing, catch crops and cover crops are included. There will be no restrictions on inputs (pesticides and fertilisers). The list of crops counting towards this requirement is to be published shortly.
Maintenance of permanent grassland
This relates to land lying fallow where you have sown with environmental seed mixes such as wild bird seed mix and pollen and nectar mixes.
Weightings and coefficients
These weightings will affect how much each option will count for on the ground:
| Features | Conversion factor | Weighting factor | Ecological focus area |
| Buffer strips | 6 | 1.5 | 9m² |
| Hedges | 5 | 2 | 10m² |
| Catch crops/green cover | n.a | 0.3 | 0.3m² |
| Nitrogen fixing crops | n.a | 0.7 | 0.7m² |
| Land lying fallow | n.a | 1 | 1m² |
For example hedgerows 100m will be multiplied by a conversion factor of 5, and the weighting factor of 2 Result= 100 x 5 x 2= 1000m2 Please see additional documentation on information relating to double funding and decisions regarding GAEC standards.
*Document referenced from the CLA documentation
For more information, please visit:
Gov.uk- Countryside gets set to claim £15billion under CAP reform NFU- Basic Payment Scheme – BPS CLA- BASIC PAYMENT SCHEME Robinson and Hall- CAP Reform 2015 – The New Basic Payment Scheme
See the video on how to map your BPS options and calculate the Ecological Focus Areas here
