Groundsure Explorer Launch: Everything You Need to Know

Excited to officially launch Groundsure Explorer, our next-generation platform for site intelligence and analysis.

It’s a transformation in how professionals approach site assessment, due diligence and environmental research across the UK. If you work in property, planning, environmental consultancy or heritage, Groundsure Explorer is built with your needs in mind. 

This is the most complete and intuitive way yet to explore historical maps, geological and environmental data, all in one place. Groundsure Explorer gives you access to more than 170 years of historical maps and 150+ datasets so you can bring greater clarity, speed and confidence to your clients. And it’s available now, included with every Groundsure Insight report.

Why use Groundsure Explorer?

At Groundsure, we believe the best decisions are made when the full picture is available. For years, professionals have relied on Groundsure Insights for environmental and geological intelligence. Now, we have brought that experience to life with the addition of an interactive, map-based viewer that is fast, flexible and built for action. Whether you’re trying to understand land use history, identify potential contamination risks or ensure full property due diligence, Explorer brings your site into clear focus.

What’s included?

When you purchase your Insight PDF, you’ll get Groundsure Explorer. This includes:

  • Enviro Insight: Detailed environmental data, from flood zones and pollution inventories to water quality and permits.
  • Geo Insight: Comprehensive geological intelligence, including unique sinkhole, mining and subsurface workings datasets.
  • Map Insight: High-resolution historical property maps scanned in both colour and greyscale for improved interpretation
  • Fire Insurance Plans (included free where available)
  • Recent and historical aerial imagery
  • BGS 1:10,000 geology data
  • Water Framework Directive datasets

With Groundsure Explorer, you can interactively navigate this data in a visual environment. You can view layers, compare time periods, overlay maps and explore risks in detail.

Who is Groundsure Explorer designed for?

Groundsure Explorer is ideal for anyone involved in land, property or environmental risk assessment. That includes environmental consultants, planning and development professionals, surveyors, asset and property managers, heritage and conservation specialists and anyone whose work involves understanding the history of a site.

Explorer is tailored to help you find, analyse and report your data faster. It is your complete, visual guide to the past and present condition of any UK site.

How do I access Groundsure Explorer?

Accessing the tool is simple. When you order a Groundsure Insight PDF, you automatically receive 12 months of free access to Groundsure Explorer. There’s no need for a separate login or complicated setup. Just log into your Groundsure Insights account and you’ll see a new banner on your homepage and within your orders section that takes you straight into the Explorer interface. That’s it. No hidden steps or additional cost.

No training required

One of the best parts about Groundsure Explorer is how easy it is to use. There is no GIS software to install and no complex tools to learn. It’s designed to be intuitive, even for first-time users, with smooth navigation, layer switching and visual comparison without the need for GIS expertise.

Tools and features that make a difference

We have included a range of powerful features in Groundsure Explorer to give you the clearest possible view and the smoothest workflow. These include:

  • Unlimited exports at no extra cost: Download as many maps and data views as you need, whenever you need them. 
  • Instant preview: Visualise your site before exporting, saving time and effort.
  • Clear, helpful map key: Understand what you’re looking at quickly and confidently.
  • Effortless screenshots for reports: Grab the data visuals you need, perfect for adding to your environmental or legal reports.
  • Fast keyword search: Locate specific information instantly across multiple datasets.
  • Built-in measuring tool: Measure distances and areas directly on the map.
  • Collaborative notes and tags: Work as a team with shared insights and searchable labels like ‘review’ or ‘completed.’
  • Organisation-wide sharing: Make your findings accessible across your firm or project team.
  • Linear site ordering: Supports long or corridor-based sites for infrastructure and utilities projects.
  • Smarter search with tags: Easily keep track of site progress or theme by using custom tags.
  • Help and support: The Groundsure team are always available to help if you need them.
Explore the history of your site

One of the most powerful elements of Groundsure Explorer is its rich historical map viewer. Using Ordnance Survey maps, town plans, and National Grid editions dating back to the 1840s, you can uncover former industrial activity, infilled land and groundworks, watercourses, drains and culverts, lost roads and infrastructure, historic land use trends and more.

These maps help you understand the legacy of a site. They often highlight risks that would be invisible in modern data alone. If your work involves site due diligence with historical maps, there is simply no better tool.

Access: Instant access to 170+ years of historical maps and 150+ environmental and geological datasets. It’s built into your account once you order an Insight PDF. No extra logins or payments are needed. Just click the dashboard banner in your Groundsure Insights account and get started.

Interpret: Analyse your site’s history as you easily compare historic and modern maps, identify changes in land use since the 1840s and assess contamination and other risks with a smart, user-friendly interface.

Deliver: Export unlimited maps and data straight into your reports. With 12 months’ free access, revisit your research anytime and from anywhere for confident, detailed reporting.

Geology and environmental data in context

Beyond the past, Groundsure Explorer brings the ground and environment into sharper focus. With our proprietary Insight data, you get more than the standard datasets, including:

  • Subsurface mining and sinkhole data
  • Interpreted ground workings and cavities
  • Hydrology and flood zones
  • Source Protection Zones, including confined aquifers
  • Pollution incidents and waste site records

Together, these layers give you the tools to conduct a complete environmental risk assessment and assess the safety, stability and environmental compliance of your site with confidence.

Supporting heritage, planning and conservation

If your project involves historical site analysis, listed buildings or protected areas, Groundsure Explorer is an essential resource. Our detailed scans and aerial imagery can help you build evidence for planning applications, develop heritage impact assessments, or trace the historical footprint of a landscape.

Start exploring today

At Groundsure, we have always believed that better data leads to better decisions. Groundsure Explorer takes that commitment to the next level. It is the most complete, clear and usable platform we have ever delivered.

If you need to access historical property maps or are looking for environmental data mapping tools that keep your work sharp and reliable, you’ll find it all in one place with Groundsure Explorer. The story of your site is waiting to be discovered.

Find out more about Groundsure Explorer and how it can help you today.

Kindly shared by Groundsure