Blom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Blom ASA | |
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| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1954 |
| Headquarters | Oslo, Norway |
| Key people | Dirk Blaauw (CEO) |
| Area served | Europe |
| Industry | Cartography |
| Revenue |  NOK 412 million (2005) |
| Operating income | NOK 58 million (2005) |
| Net income | NOK 39 million (2005) |
| Employees | 1000 (2006) |
| Website | www.blomasa.com |
Blom (OSE: BLO) is a Norwegian geographical information and offshore technology company. The company has offices in ten countries in Europe and offers a wide selection of geographical services, including maintaining a database. The company has its headquarters in Oslo, Norway and is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange. Blom has subsidiaries in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland.
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[edit] History
Blom ASA was founded in 1954 by hydrographer Ole H. Blom. By 1988 the company was listed on Oslo Stock Exchange. In the early 1990s Blom expanded into Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. In addition the company acquired Asplan Viak in Norway and expanded into the other Scandinavian countries, including acquireing the credit information company Creditinform in 1997. Creditinform was sold in 2000. In the 2000s Blom went into Europe though multiple acquisitions, and left non-European markeds. The company acquired ScanRope in 2006.
[edit] Operations
[edit] Geographical information
The geographical information division has 700 employees spread thoughout ten offices in Europe. The primary business areas are aerial photography, laser-scanning (LiDAR), mapping & modelling, databases and database applications. The primary customers are development banks, engineering consultancies, government agencies, insurance companies, municipalities, property information, real estate and [[utility|utility organisations.
Blom uses large format cameras mounted in twin-engined fixed-winged aircraft assisted by Global Positioning System (GPS) with Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) to perform areal photography. The company also used survey cameras, laser-scanners (LiDAR) and hyper-spectoral scanners. The company has 32 fixed-winged aircraft, four helicopters and one Learjet.
Laser scanning is used to create a three-dimentional image of the terrain, resulting in Digital Terrain Models (DTM). The scanning is done from fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters. The laser scanning can be used to create 3D city models, cadastral mapping, digital orthophoto images, digital surface models (DSM), digital terrain models, GIS Mapping and vector mapping.
Blom maintains a large database containing information within areal photography, digital surface models, digital terrain models, digital orthophoto images and Pictometry Oblique Image libraries. The database is available on subscription or though an online store.
[edit] Offshore technology
Blom owns two companies in offshore technology: Blom Maritime and ScanRope. Blom Maritime in Stavanger, Norway offeres services within hydrographic surveying; navigation and positioning; data prosessing and quality control; project consulting; and position control system for Tankers. ScanRope offers offshore moorings and subsea cables.
