Terry maps out the perfect career

Terry Ingledew is mapping every road and street in Rotorua for Wellington-based company CoreLogic. Photo / Andrew Warner

Terry Ingledew says he has the best job in the world.

And few could argue, as he is tasked with travelling the length and breadth of the country taking pictures of every street and road in New Zealand.

This week, Mr Ingledew has been mapping Rotorua for Wellington-based company CoreLogic, who are producing detailed three-dimensional maps as part of their StreetCam mapping project.

Using start of the art technology - one part is from a missile guidance system - StreetCam captures 1.3 million points of data every second, which can be used for numerous business applications and projects such as flood risk modelling, route planning for oversized vehicles, hazard reporting, and asset location and management.

The technology is so accurate it can measure the height of power poles, buildings, street lights and even the sag in a power line.

"I've already done the main centres, and more recently Tauranga and Hamilton," Mr Ingledew said. "Next week, it's the Hawke's Bay.

"I get paid to travel all over New Zealand, it's awesome."

He said the system was made up of a 360-degree camera, which comprises six individual cameras, shooting still photographs every 5 metres.

It also has a LiDAR system (similar to radar) and GPS.

"Everything is to scale, so the information is really useful for power companies or local councils who, instead of heading out and taking measurements for themselves, can pay for the information we are producing," Mr Ingledew said. He has been in the job for two and a half years and loves every minute of it.

"I've been looking for a job like this for 40 years, it's great," he said.