-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: British OS launches free data site: UK newspaper article
Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2010 20:41:26 +0000 (GMT)
From: A CARLUCCI <[log in to unmask]>
To: Air Photo GIS Forum - Map LibrarianshipMaps <[log in to unmask]>
Apologies for the delay in writing due to the long (in the UK) Easter
weekend.
I confirm that the Francis Herbert pun is inevitable.
As to the free OS data, for those non-UK maps-L readers that may be
interested, this development may well have been influenced by the "Free
Our Data" campaign championed by the Guardian newspaper, on the
principle that because taxpayers have already paid for the compilation
of the OS's mapping data, then it should be available (relatively)
freely, a concept no doubt familiar to colleagues in the US and Canada.
When the OS became a "trading fund" in the mid-90s, it was meant to be
self-sustaining financially. OS cartographers morphed into salespeople,
prices went up and licences became very restrictive. Recently, at least
two organizations have begun creating large scale UK digital data in
competition with OS, and some of this has taken hold, with at least one
local government in Greater London deciding to buy non-OS digital data.
OS has often tried to make the case that mapping of areas which do not
command sufficient sales are not financially viable for revision, but
then how will the emergency vehicles know where to go?
An interesting development for digital data users in the UK.....
Regards
April
April Carlucci
The Intinerant Map Catalog(u)er
--- On *Fri, 2/4/10, Angie Cope /<[log in to unmask]>/* wrote:
From: Angie Cope <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: British OS launches free data site: UK newspaper article
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Friday, 2 April, 2010, 20:17
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: British OS launches free data site: UK newspaper
article
Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2010 20:02:25 +0100
From: Francis Herbert <[log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>>
To: 'Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship'
<[log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>>
Russell:
And, should anyone be interested in at least one British 'quality'
newspaper's reaction, you can refer to either the hard copy of 'The
Independent' (London) for today, 2 April 2010, article 'No. 1 in the
charts since 1717' (full page 15, with 2 col. images); or to the online
version (with only 1 image - omitting the hard copy's folded and rather
worn OS map heading the page):-
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/os-maps-no1-in-the-charts-sin
ce-1747-1934059.htm
One may be 'pressed' [an inevitable Francis Herbert pun (as April
Carlucci will confirm)] to locate a copy of what the journalist,
Jonathan Brown, cites as Dr Richard Oliver's publication 'A Short
History of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain'. Perhaps he intended to
cite 'Ordnance Survey maps : a concise guide for historians', 2nd ed.,
rev. & expanded (London : The Charles Close Society [for the Study of
Ordnance Survey Maps], 2005), ISBN 1-870598-24-5|?
Francis (Herbert)
Past Member (when Curator of Maps, RGS-IBG, London), International Map
Trade Association
-----Original Message-----
From: Maps, Air Photo, GIS Forum - Map Librarianship
[mailto:[log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>]
On Behalf Of Angie Cope
Sent: 01 April 2010 15:41
To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>
Subject: British OS launches free data site
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: British OS launches free data site
Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:48:41 -0400
From: Russell Guy <[log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>>
To: [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>
The British Ordnance Survey has released the gov't report on the future
direction of the OS, including what data will be released free of charge
for private, public, and commercial use. The report is available at
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1528263.pdf . It
is interesting in that the British gov't is now setting up a "commercial
contract" with OS for funding at least some of the costs of the OS,
whereas the OS was fully self-supporting up to now.
The OS also launched today its new "OS OpenData" website at
www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/opendata
<http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/opendata> where the public can download
the various free data sets, including medium scale vector data, etc.
According to the OS, the new site is very overloaded today and users may
get a request for user i.d. and password. This requirement is a glitch
due to the overland and OS is working to fix it.
It will be interesting to see what paper maps get discontinued due to
funding considerations. The OS has already announced the end of its
very popular 1:250,000 Travelmaster road map series as well as its
single-sheet Routemaster road map.
Cheers
Russell Guy [log in to unmask]
<[log in to unmask]" target="_blank">http:[log in to unmask]>
Omnimap.com http://www.omnimap.com
<http://www.omnimap.com/>
<http://www.omnimap.com/>P.O. Box 2096
Tel.: 800-742-2677 (USA only)
1004 South Mebane St. Tel.: 336-227-8300
(International)
Burlington, NC 27216-2096 USA Fax: 336-227-3748
Past President (1996) and Member, International Map Trade Association
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