Something interesting for Sunday night ...

[Bearbonesnorm]

... well, I thought so.

Each of the coloured squares represents a 1km x 1km area and the interesting thing is that none of them contain any buildings at all.

[fatbikephil]

That's quite impressive actually, my perception is that most of Wales is inhabited, even if it's only a farm - so I'd have guessed there would be lots of isolated 1k squares but nothing like the big areas shown. Wonder what Scotland looks like?

[dlovett]

How did you generate that, I'l love to see my area, totally empty of squares I'd guess?

[whitestone]

Ooh! A game

How close to your house is the nearest grid square with no buildings? For extra points the nearest with no roads or buildings.

For no buildings we've three square located three squares west and two north from our square. Two squares west and seven north to one with no roads or buildings.

[fatbikephil]

About 1.5k direct from my front door (which I can just about do as there isn't anything in the way) to the bottom corner of my nearest empty k square, which is totally empty part from fields, cows, fences and the eastern 'peak' of Saline hill.

[Bearbonesnorm]

How did you generate that,

I take no credit Duncan - I stole it

[voodoo_simon]

Strangely, this popped up on Facebook today after viewing this page from a page I’ve never ever looked at

Shame we can’t zoom in on the map

[faustus]

I wonder how it's been done or what counts as a building? Is it some AI thing where it's looked out for certain shapes in GIS or satellite imagery? Good to see though, can't imagine there's many squares in my part of England!

[Dave Barter]

If you know GIS it's relatively easy to do. I've made my own residential buildings data set using land registry data and could grid Wales into 1km squares then check for those with no building within.

The skill is if they've removed lakes which shouldn't count in my opinion and also clipping where the land (such as coast) is not actually a square kilometre.

[psling]

Don't let Reg see that, imagine all those square kilometres with no buildings, not even an old outhouse; the man will be gutted

[thenorthwind]

Interesting. I assumed for me, living in a fairly large conurbation, it would be miles away. Well it is, but not as many as I thought: 2.7mi going by the OS 25k, though there's what I think is a bird hide on the satellite imagery. Otherwise, 3.7mi (6 grids squares directly north). The adjacent square is also building free, if you don't count a dual carriageway trunk road as a "building".

[boxelder]

Hmmm, without roads or buildings, we have a 12sq Km 'block' 2Km to our NE and a 30+sq Km block to the SE. It's pretty much all 300m or higher though and not really habitable.

[RIP]

Don't let Reg see that, imagine all those square kilometres with no buildings, not even an old outhouse; the man will be gutted

I think I need to invest in a portable shed

[MuddyPete]

Don't let Reg see that, imagine all those square kilometres with no buildings, not even an old outhouse; the man will be gutted

I think I need to invest in a portable shed

You mean...a tent?

[frogatthefarriers]

Don't let Reg see that, imagine all those square kilometres with no buildings, not even an old outhouse; the man will be gutted

I think I need to invest in a portable shed

You’ve got one already. 8ftx10ft. It’s even got a leak in the roof.