A Wellington-based company with strong links to Dunedin will film 144,000km of roads around New Zealand in the next two years using "StreetCam", a van fitted with six video cameras and digital recording technology.
Filming on highways and major roads around Dunedin was completed on Tuesday.
The company had recently completed nine weeks' filming on North Island roads, and would complete a six-week tour of the South Island next month.
Terralink International managing director Mike Donald said this was the first time detailed video images, combined with Global Positioning System (GPS) data, had been gathered in this way in New Zealand.
The data would have numerous commercial applications, he said.
Utility companies and councils could use data to manage assets such as power poles, drainage facilities or for roading maintenance and marking.
It could also provide emergency services with a visual reference when responding to incidents.
Data on roading gradients and corner ratios may also be used in "next generation" in-car GPS navigation systems, or by vehicles' on-board computers for adaptive headlights or traction control.
The images may also be used by tourists planning a journey or consumers buying real estate, he said.
Mr Donald said the company planned to survey some roads annually and all roads every five years to compile a historical record of changes to streetscapes, rural landscapes and commercial areas.
"This is a seven-figure investment in terms of resourcing over an annual period.
All major towns and highways will be covered in the first stage, and then outlying areas will be included in the first two years of data gathering.
"StreetCam will be travelling at up to 100kmh on highways, but the film it takes is crystal clear," he said.
Dunedin-based Animation Research Holdings Ltd is the company's main shareholder.
