OS OpenData: Ordnance Survey Free Data Portal Updated

Ordnance Survey’s free data portal, OS OpenData, is being upgraded to make it even easier for developers and entrepreneurs to create and customise maps.

The new advances to the popular portal, include the release of a fully maintained height dataset, an enhanced version of OS VectorMap District and a new cartographic styling package. The advances will make OS OpenData products easier, even more accurate and more flexible to use. It will enable users to create and customise different maps and give them more options to display their data.

OS OpenData is an online portal from Ordnance Survey, which was launched in April 2010, providing free and unrestricted access to a large range of mapping datasets.

Under the new upgrade package, which will be implemented by April 2013, users will be able to access a new fully maintained height product called OS Terrain 50. The new product, which has a similar resolution to Land-Form PANORAMA, will enable users to access an advanced product with consistently maintained height content for the whole of Great Britain. Land-Form PANORAMA was an unmaintained product and was last updated in the 1990s. The new product will give users more confidence in the currency of the data and will be supplied in additional formats, making it far more accessible.

Another product being upgraded is OS VectorMap District. The new dataset will replace the current beta version with a fully maintained product release, which will include product updates every six months. Several improvements have been made to the product following user feedback, including an improved cartographic style, new ‘look and feel’ and additional data formats.

OS VectorMap District was launched in 2010 to support OS OpenData, and ever since has been one of the most popular datasets downloaded through the online portal. The new version provides users with new look vector and raster products, providing users with an easier to use and more accessible product.

In addition to the new cartographic styling of OS VectorMap District, two other popular products have been restyled to create a consistent look and feel across all datasets. Both Strategi and Meridian 2 will have a new cartographic style from the New Year to complement OS VectorMap District. It is intended that the developments will significantly enhance the usability of the products and deliver a product portfolio which is consistent through a series of mapping scales. This will provide greater interaction with the maps, whilst maintaining the up-to-date and reliable quality of the data.

In the New Year, Ordnance Survey will also be releasing a set of Styled Layered Descriptors, meaning that users can access, for free, online style sheets for OS OpenData products. The new style sheets will make it easier for users to ‘plug in and play’ and build Ordnance Survey maps into their Intranet web services or GIS.

Peter ter Haar, Director of Products, said: “We’ve been really pleased with the success of  OS OpenData since 2010, and watching Ordnance Survey data being used in new and exciting products, services and applications. This latest upgrade will deliver valuable enhancements to a number of our OS OpenData products.

“All of the upgrades are being implemented to benefit the user, whether they are a business, charity, government user or developer. We want to make sure that OS OpenData is easy to use, accessible in the right formats and available in a consistent style across the product range. The new advances allow users to access world-class mapping data in a format which makes it easy to create and customise maps.”

Ordnance Survey is a member of the Public Data Group and is supporting the drive to explore new innovative ways of making data more freely accessible to users.

Read More

Ordnance Survey Professional Accreditation Programme Launches

Geographic information (GI) experts across the globe are being given an exciting opportunity to gain professional recognition from Ordnance Survey under a new accreditation scheme.

The new professional accreditation programme will create a specialist network of GI experts who will work with the national mapping agency in supporting, and providing technical advice to government, commercial and international customers.

The global use of GI, and recognition of the important role that accurate mapping data can play in supporting economies, governments, commercial organisations and individuals, is at an all time high. Today, Ordnance Survey data is being used extensively across the private and public sector to drive efficiencies and underpin decision making. In addition, GI is being used by new audiences, and the challenge for Ordnance Survey and the industry is how best to foster new collaboration between ‘non-traditional’ partners to drive the geospatial innovation agenda forward.

The new professional accreditation programme will see Ordnance Survey working more collaboratively with experts from around the world, providing support, technical expertise and consultancy to a diverse range of customers in both traditional and non traditional markets. Under the new programme, Ordnance Survey will develop two communities for the Accredited Consultants and Accredited Technical Specialists.

The Accredited Consultants will be independent experts with a track record of providing external consultancy on strategic planning, design and implementation.

The Accredited Technical Specialists will be individuals with a track record of providing technical consultancy, including advice on Ordnance Survey data and services, to end-use customers within live operations environments – both government and commercial customers.

Community members will benefit from using the globally recognised Ordnance Survey name and logo, have the opportunity to add business contact details to the Ordnance Survey website, have access to the established OS Insight programme, and access to exclusive community events, forums and online resources.

James Brayshaw, Director of Sales and Market Development, comments: “These experts will work with Ordnance Survey providing specialist advice and skills to all our markets. This could range from strategic government customers who access Ordnance Survey data via the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA) and One Scotland Mapping Agreement (OSMA), to new commercial companies looking to create innovative products and solve problems using mapping data.

“We have seen an explosion in the use of GI across the globe and we want to ensure that all our customers are using their mapping data to its full potential. By collaborating with the best industry experts, and sharing our strengths and skills, we aim to provide consultancy services that will deliver advice and solutions that our customers will value.

“This is an exciting programme and I am confident that we can help Ordnance Survey customers create new and innovative products and services, as well as using GI to deliver valuable efficiencies and savings.

For more information on the new accredited programme, and how to join the scheme, please visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/accreditation.

SOURCE Press Release

Read More

World Topographic Map Includes OS OpenData Products

The Ordnance Survey's (OS) small- and midscale OS OpenData products have been included in Esri's World Topographic Map, the crowdsourced map at the foundation of Esri's Community Maps program. The map service can be accessed from the basemap gallery in ArcGIS Online.

The OS OpenData products incorporated into the World Topographic Map include information on roads, rivers, woodlands, administrative regions, built-up areas, and buildings representing a high level of detail. The added detail from OS OpenData significantly enhances the value and utility of geographic information for anyone working on mapping projects with British geography within the World Topographic Map.

Typically, when geospatial data holders release free data products, the information is only available in vector format that requires setup and processing before it can be used. By processing that raw information and integrating it into a map service in ArcGIS Online, Esri makes the data more accessible and convenient to include in applications and maps.

"I am very pleased Esri has incorporated OS OpenData into its World Topographic Map," commented Peter ter Haar, products director of Ordnance Survey. "OS OpenData allows users to download a wide range of mapping and geographic information for free reuse, and its inclusion will provide new opportunities for people to develop innovative applications and services."

The United Kingdom is the latest European country to contribute data to the World Topographic Map, joining the governments of the Czech Republic, Spain, and the Netherlands.

For more information on how to contribute data to the World Topographic Map, visit esri.com/communitymaps.

Read More

Ordnance Survey (OS) Street View - Most Downloaded Product

Since April 1, 2010 (launch of OS OpenData), the most downloaded product is Ordnance Survey (OS) Street View, with OS Vector Map District (which was released in May) swiftly catching up. Spatial Geographic Services and Applications Limited (SGSA Ltd) is using OS Street View as a base before adding road routing information, which could be vitally important to our emergency services.

Ron Linton from SGSA said, “What I am doing is incorporating all the road routing information: not only traffic-calming data but also information on one‑way streets, steep hills, gates, fords, no entries and so on; which will help when planning the best routes, whether it is for the emergency services, delivery companies or someone using their satnav on holiday.”

The huge variety of applications of OS OpenData have seen the locations of pharmacies and train stations across Great Britain being mapped – using 1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster and Code-Point Open – and can be seen at data.gov.uk. Meanwhile, councils are using the datasets to show residents the nearest recycling facilities or latest planning applications. One of the more unusual uses has been to map the position of 250 brightly painted elephants across central London this summer.

Peter ter Haar, Ordnance Survey’s Director of Products, said, “We’ve been really excited watching the success of OS OpenData over the last three months and listening to the buzz it’s created in the geographic information world and beyond. Now we’re actually seeing our data being used in a myriad of new ways and benefitting charities, businesses and individuals.”

Read More

OS OpenData Launches

Ordnance Survey has launched OS OpenData, an online portal providing free and unrestricted access to a large range of mapping and geographic information (GI).

OS OpenData allows users to download a wide range of mapping and geographic information for free reuse direct to their computers; view maps and boundary information for the whole country; and develop web-map applications using Ordnance Survey’s OS OpenSpace API (Application Programming Interface).

Today’s launch follows the announcement by the Prime Minister on 17 November that some Ordnance Survey mapping would be made freely available as part of the ‘Making Public Data Public’ initiative. The project, championed by web-inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Nigel Shadbolt, the Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Deputy Head (Research) of the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton, aims to support greater transparency and accountability within Government, improve public services and create new economic and social value.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee comments: "I'm delighted that the Ordnance Survey is releasing this data for free re-use. It will help people make fuller use of other government data on data.gov.uk, as well as stimulating innovation in mapping itself."

Professor Shadbolt adds: "OS OpenData makes critical geographic information freely available to all of us. Our goal has been to facilitate innovation and reuse, to allow everyone the opportunity to enrich this valuable public data.

“The process of consultation has seen ongoing negotiation across government around which data was best for release, and all I would say is that it’s a huge credit to everybody at Ordnance Survey who have been working on this. I’ve been impressed by the willingness to adapt, to extend, to think about new forms of project management and to really step up to the mark, so we’re hugely grateful.”

The release of free data comes after a public consultation document, released on 23 December 2009, set out various long-term strategic options for Ordnance Survey. The consultation period closed on 17 March, and on 31 March, the Department for Communities and Local Government published the Government’s official response. The launch of OS OpenData marks the culmination of this process, delivering greater access to geographic information in Britain than ever before.

Communities Secretary John Denham welcomed the launch of OS OpenData saying: “This shows the UK is at the cutting edge of a digital revolution. The move to free up public data encourages fresh thinking - people re-using information in different and more imaginative ways than may have originally been intended. A seemingly endless stream of new applications and websites continues to show the potential of combining information, creative vision and digital technology.

“Increasing access to Ordnance Survey data will attract a new wave of entrepreneurs and result in new solutions to old problems that will benefit us all. It will also drive a new industry, creating new jobs and driving future growth.”

“The changes signal a wider cultural change in Government based on an assumption that information should be in the public domain unless there is a good reason not to - not the other way around. Greater openness, accountability and transparency in Government will give people greater choice and make it easier for individuals to get more directly involved in issues that matter to them.”

OS OpenData, which is being funded by government, is made up of a range of raster and vector mapping datasets. These include the detailed 1:10 000 scale OS Street View, Boundary-Line, which provides the electoral and administrative geography of the country, and Meridian 2 and Strategi which offer customisable views of Britain’s topography.

The following datasets are included in OS OpenData:

• OS Street View
• 1: 50 000 Gazetteer
• 1: 250 000 Colour Raster
• OS Locator
• Boundary-Line
• Code-Point Open
• Meridian 2
• Strategi
• MiniScale
• Land-Form PANORAMA
• OS VectorMap District (available May 2010)

OS VectorMap District, a brand new mid-scale vector dataset which has been specifically designed to display information on the web, will be available from May 2010.

Vanessa Lawrence CB, Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, says: “Over the past few months we have been working extremely hard to put in place all the steps which were necessary in order to deliver the Prime Minister’s objective. I believe that OS OpenData delivers on that vision, providing a wide range of Ordnance Survey mapping for reuse and without restriction. I am really looking forward to seeing the public’s response to OS OpenData and watching the creation of new applications and services, all being underpinned by Ordnance Survey data.

“Since the release of the public consultation we have seen the launch of data.gov.uk, with over three thousand datasets being released on the website. As a result many people have requested high quality and well maintained geographic information to enable data from different sources to be linked. I am therefore pleased that Ordnance Survey data, long recognised as world-class, for currency, accuracy and quality, has been identified as having a fundamental role to play in underpinning the future growth of the ‘Smarter Government’ and ‘Making Public Data Public’ initiatives.”

Sir Rob Margetts CBE, Ordnance Survey’s Non-Executive Chairman, adds: “The launch of OS OpenData has been made possible because of the Government’s commitment to providing ongoing funding to support this data package, in order to ensure a sustainable Ordnance Survey for the future, for which I am thankful. This is fundamental to maintaining the quality of the data for which Ordnance Survey is globally renowned.”

Read More

Ordnance Survey maps critical changes in Cumbria

Ordnance Survey (OS) has announced that its mapping can be relied on by surveying critical infrastructure changes to roads and bridges in Cumbria (North West of England) following November’s flooding. Surveyors from Ordnance Survey have been in Workington, Cumbria, recently to start the task of mapping the changes after November’s floods.

The changes to bridges, Workington Railway Station and the road network will be reflected in their OS MasterMap Topography and Integrated Transport Network Layers from early 2010.

The first changes to be made have been the addition of the new army-built Barker Bridge and the Workington temporary railway station. David Henderson, Ordnance Survey Product Manager, said, “Although these changes will be temporary, the new bridge and railway station will remain in place for some time, and it is important to provide updated mapping to support those managing the general recovery of the area from the terrible impact of November’s floods. As and when the bridge and station are more permanently restored, we will ensure that our data is updated again.”

Ordnance Survey has worked with Cumbria County Council to identify the changes that need to be made. Through continued liaison with the local authority all the other bridges in the county that are still closed, condemned or collapsed will also be recorded and updated as required.

Read More

Mapping Awards Contest for best geography ideas

Mapping Awards Contest for best geography ideas! GeoVation, an online initiative aiming to promote innovation with geography, has launched an awards programme with a prize fund of £21,000 available to develop the best entries.

The initiative – supported by mapping agency Ordnance Survey – aims to help individuals, businesses and communities bring their map‑based ideas to life. There are three themes: crime, health and the environment, although good ideas on any subject are welcomed.

John Abbott, GeoVation Champion, comments: “This is all about investing in worthwhile, exciting and innovative uses of geography. We believe geography can play a real part in addressing some of the world’s big challenges and we want to unleash people’s creative potential.

"We are keen to engage with anyone, from technology experts to the wider community."

Awards Programme Submissions need to be made on the GeoVation site before the closing date of 4 January, and entrants are free to suggest the use of any resources, such as Google Maps or OS OpenSpace. Ordnance Survey is not claiming any ownership of the entries submitted.

The initiative comes as the Home Office releases nationwide crime maps, a powerful demonstration of how geography can be used to empower citizens and improve public service accountability. Among the ideas already submitted to GeoVation are a service that lets pedestrians map safe routes based on the location of CCTV cameras and a text alert service where 999 callers are sent the location of their nearest defibrillator. Another idea hopes to encourage people to buy more local produce by publicising nearby availability.

Abbott continues: “Essentially, this is about trying to build something from the bottom up, rather than having a single organisation or business dictate how things should be done.”

The cash will be awarded to four winning entries, with £10,000 to the outright winner and two prizes of £5,000 for the runners-up. A community award, as voted by the audience, will receive £1,000. All the money will go towards developing the ideas.

The closing date for entries is 4 January, and more information is available at the GeoVation website at https://challenge.geovation.org.uk/.

Read More

Free Ordnance Survey maps online -- soon

Ordnance Survey (OS) map data will be available online free of cost to everybody from 2010. The move will allow people to interpret public statistics about crime, health and education by postcode, local authority or electoral boundary.

Currently, the geographical data is only available free of charge to small scale developers. Opening it up is key to the success of government plans to free its data via data.gov.uk, say the site's creators.

"Making all that data available doesn't make much sense without the geography to tie it all together. Time and place are the two things that make sense of other data. Which hospital, where, when, for example." Professor Nigel Shadbolt, one of two Information Advisers to the government, told BBC News.

It is a commitment to make a wide range of non-personal data collected by the government on subjects such as health, crime and education available online for free in a raw form. Developers can then use it to create mash-ups - a web page that combines sets of data to link up results.

Professor Shadbolt says that if people could get at the data "they would prefer to use it".
The transition to free-for-all is likely to happen in April 2010 and was announced on 17 November by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Communities Secretary John Denham.

"We want people to be able to compare the outcomes and the costs for their own local services with the services delivered elsewhere, and suggest means of improving and driving change," said Mr Denham.

Read More

Ordnance Survey Licence for Free Access to Map Data

A range of new licences from Ordnance Survey provide users with free access to a wide range of mapping data for experimentation and development.

The move forms part of Ordnance Survey's new business strategy, which aims to further promote the innovative use of geographic information. Users can now download sample areas of premium products direct from the Ordnance Survey website, while even more data, up to 10% of anywhere in the country, is available for free to those that request it.

The three new licences, entitled "Discover", "Evaluate" and "Developer" make it easier for businesses, government agencies, social groups and entrepreneurs to experiment with Ordnance Survey data and realise the value of location-based information. Samples of 22 datasets are available, including the entire OS MasterMap product suite of topography, imagery, address and transport network layers.

Read More

Free Ordnance Survey maps for Scottish schoolkids

Schoolchildren across Scotland have the chance to get their hands on free Ordnance Survey maps, as the national mapping agency launches the Free maps for 11-year-olds scheme today.

The initiative offers every Primary 7 pupil in Scotland a free OS Explorer Map and has been an overwhelming success since its launch in 2002, with the 5 millionth map given away last year.

The scheme not only supports learning about geography and the environment but also helps encourage children and their families to get out and about and explore their local area. It has been praised by teachers, pupils and parents alike.

"Being able to understand the information on a map, whether it’s on paper, the Internet or a hand-held gadget, and relate that to the world you see around you is a really important life skill," comments Elaine Owen, Ordnance Survey’s Corporate Responsibility Manager.

"The Free maps for 11-year-olds scheme is helping children learn these skills and is open to every Primary 7 pupil in Scotland. All your school has to do is place their order on our website."

As well as a free OS Explorer Map, pupils are also being given the chance to win an all‑expenses paid day out with the Field Studies Council in Exmoor National Park. The 12 winners that can correctly complete the answers to five questions will have the chance to put their map-reading skills into practice and enjoy the many activities planned for the day.

To take advantage of the scheme, teachers must place their order by 30 November 2009 on the Ordnance Survey free maps website: www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/freemapsfor11yearolds.

Read More

Satmap Online Planner due November

Satmap's new online route planner is scheduled for release in November 2008.The planner means that registered Satmap Active 10 users will be able to access over £5000-worth of Ordnance Survey mapping for free and use both 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 maps online to plan routes, which they can then download to their Active 10 GPS unit in GPX form or print to paper.

Users will also have the option of planning routes using aerial photography of Great Britain.

The new planner means that Satmap owners will be able to plan routes on their PCs without needing additional mapping software and the planner will also allow users to save their routes on the server and to share their routes with others as GPX files on a new free Route Share Forum, which will include a Microsoft Virtual Earth preview facility.

Due for release in November when it will be available at www.satmap.com.

Read More

Free Maps for 11-year-olds from Ordnance Survey

Every Year 7 pupil in England, Scotland and Wales can receive a free 1:25 000 scale OS Explorer Map of their local area.

Since its launch in 2002 the initiative has had an overwhelming response. Each year, Ordnance Survey distributes over 700 000 maps to pupils through their schools. They also receive a copy of the leaflet "Map reading made easy peasy”.

Today Iain Wright and Vanessa Lawrence, from Ordnance Survey, visited Dyke House Comprehensive School in Hartlepool to hand over the maps to the pupils. Head Teacher, Bill Jordan, was also presented with a special gold covered Ordnance Survey map to mark the year that the 5 millionth map is to be given away.

Pupils from Dyke House’s Year 7 then took part in a treasure hunt at the school with a special ‘treasure map’ to help them find 11 clues that spelt out the location of a grand prize.

The free maps scheme is designed to encourage geography and environmental studies – both in and outside the classroom – helping to get pupils to explore their local community with their families and learn about practical map reading.

Ordnance Survey Minister Iain Wright said: “It’s fantastic that this year the five millionth 11-year-old will receive a free map of where they live and where their school is thanks to Ordnance Survey.
“With sat nav becoming increasingly common, this scheme encourages children to learn geography in their own backyard and develop that all important sense of direction”.

This year Ordnance Survey is offering a special prize for the lucky school that orders the five millionth map. The winners will receive a commemorative map site-centred on their school. In addition, Tony Robinson and the Time Team will host a day out for the eight pupils who win the annual free maps competition.

Vanessa Lawrence CB, Ordnance Survey Director General and Chief Executive added: “Interpreting geographic information – on a paper map or on the computer screen – is a vital skill that will help children throughout their lives.

“The Free Maps for 11 year-olds scheme helps support these skills and we are delighted to be running it again for the seventh year.”

The free maps scheme has won an official Big Tick for responsible business practice and has been shortlisted for the Merrill Lynch Investing in Young People Award.

Teachers should place their order by 30 November 2008 on the Ordnance Survey free maps website.

Read More

New Environmental Reporting system from Ordnance Survey Ireland

1Spatial is pleased to announce the recent launch of a new Environmental Reporting system for Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi), which has been developed in part by 1Spatial. This new facility forms part of the new corporate website for OSi, launched by Seán Power, Minister for State at the Department for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. The new site also incorporates other ECommerce functionality for OSi.

The reporting system has been developed to combine data from a number of different sources (including the Geological Survey of Ireland, the Environmental Protection Agency and OSi) into a single, accessible report. Members of the public will be able to place orders for Environmental Reports, which can be used as a resource in the planning application process.

1Spatial’s involvement in the project centred on the development of a system that automatically produces location-based maps and statistics which are set into pre-defined report templates. The maps are compiled from OSi largescale vector data, and are overlayed with the results of spatial queries against other environmental data sources. Orthophoto maps are also generated as part of the report. The report is available either as a PDF file or a hard copy. Following the initial system delivery last year, 1Spatial were asked to add additional support for historical mapping, giving the reports more depth and consequently adding value for users.

[via]

Read More

Free video library to journalists

Broadcasters and other journalists are being invited to take advantage of copyright-free film footage from Ordnance Survey.

With the aim of further strengthening Ordnance Survey's excellent relationship with the media, its Press Office has commissioned a series of short films showing the work carried out by the national mapping agency.

There are six videos available for download from Ordnance Survey's media web pages. These are suitable for online use, while television broadcasters can receive versions in DVCAM format by contacting the Press Office directly.

It is hoped that this professionally produced footage will be useful to journalists looking to illustrate stories on anything from using satnavs to leisure walking.

Scott Sinclair, Ordnance Survey’s Head of Corporate Communications, comments, "The videos all depict aspects of the work Ordnance Survey does, from producing and printing paper maps to collecting digital data in the field. Our objective has been for them to be informative but also a useful, free resource for journalists to use as stock footage."

The films are:

Walking with maps

Ordnance Survey’s leisure maps are synonymous with outdoor exploration. The film includes footage of walkers in the countryside using a map to navigate and route plan.

Collecting mapping data in the field

Ordnance Survey makes 5,000 changes a day to its mapping database. This film shows how this is possible through the use of GPS equipment and highly detailed aerial imagery.

Satnav and Ordnance Survey

Ordnance Survey provides the road network data to the satnav industry. This film contains footage of a satnav in use and the behind-the-scenes work that makes them possible.

Printing maps

Thousands of Ordnance Survey maps are printed, stacked and folded every day, ready to be shipped out across the country: watch the printing presses and experts at work in this film.

Using Ordnance Survey maps

Ordnance Survey maps are available in paper or digital form. This footage shows shoppers in a busy retail outlet and computer users making use of maps online at an Internet cafe.

Digital geographic information

Ordnance Survey’s intelligent digital data underpins some £100 billion of the nation’s economic activity and is relied on by all of us. This film demonstrates some of the digital mapping that is harnessed by business and government.

Anyone wanting to view these videos should visit: http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/multimedia

Source : http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/

Read More

Source code to Web 2.0 application from Ordnance Survey

OS OpenSpace enables web-savvy users to build mash-ups with a range of Ordnance Survey data in line with government aims to make public sector information more accessible. Under an application programming interface (API) developers will register for a feed of data to experiment with non-commercially. It includes a range of mapping scales covering the whole of Great Britain down to street level.

Ordnance Survey is keen to ensure its community of more than 500 business partners support OS OpenSpace. Partners will be able to offer their own equivalent experimentation platform as well as offer developers a path to help take forward ideas suitable for commercial application.

Developers can access up to 30 000 "tiles" or extracts of data a day and up to 1 000 place name look-ups. OS OpenSpace allows users to add markers, lines and polygons on top of Ordnance Survey maps, search for place names with a gazetteer and display other location data from elsewhere on the web.

The platform is a JavaScript API that uses "slippy map" technology, so users can grab and move images in different directions. As well as the API itself, OS OpenSpace will include a community website so developers can discuss, review and collaborate on projects.

"Technology continues to expand the opportunities for benefiting from geographic information," says Vanessa Lawrence, Ordnance Survey's Director General and Chief Executive. "Our OS OpenSpace project is all about promoting innovation and allowing non-commercial experimentation with our mapping data."

Ordnance Survey's move has been welcomed by Steve Coast, founder of OpenStreetMap and a consultant on the development of OS OpenSpace. He says: "This represents one of the most significant releases of a mapping data API. It will be interesting to see what web developers do with it."

Source : http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Read More

Ordnance Survey updates aerial photography layer

Ordnance Survey announces a significant update to its flagship aerial photography product, OS MasterMap Imagery Layer, ensuring that it remains a market leading proposition for aerial imagery in Great Britain.

More than 120,000 km.sq of new and updated aerial photography, the equivalent to half of Britain, has been made available to customers over the last 12 months. This is the result of an intense period of imagery production and follows successful flying seasons over the last two years.

David Henderson, Senior Product Manager at Ordnance Survey, says, “With the introduction of our digital mapping camera and a more integrated approach to data capture and processing, we have made a dramatic improvement to the currency of our imagery during the last 12 months. Furthermore, by integrating our programmes of image and topography data collection we can offer ever greater synchronicity between our products.”

OS MasterMap Imagery Layer offers seamless coverage of Great Britain. The high resolution imagery is colour balanced and fully orthorectified, meaning that it accurately reflects the position of features at ground level without distortion. This also ensures alignment with all the other layers in the OS MasterMap family.

Source : http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Read More

Ordnance Survey MasterMap

Ordnance Survey, the national mapping agency, is hosting a series of one day seminars across Great Britain to help local authorities and the emergency services get the most out of its flagship product, OS MasterMap.

The seminars will cover everything from the latest developments at Ordnance Survey to highlighting the new and innovative ways OS MasterMap is being used. Activities during the seminar include talks about the future of OS MasterMap and how it can be used throughout local government, from policy making to service route planning. Special breakout sessions allow attendees the chance to share ideas and talk about their own experiences.

Source : http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Read More