A large swathe of Ordnance Survey data has now become "free at the point of use" and "without restrictions on re-use", as part of the Government's increased accessibility to the data it collects and controls.
From the announcement of the Government vision on 17th November 2009 to the delivery of data on 1st April 2010, the move has taken just 15 weeks. However, the push for the release of this data has been ongoing for a number of years, and was highlighted in the freeourdata.org.uk blog.
But what does it mean for the GIS community?
We have been having a look at the information we can now get out hands on: what is available on the Ordnance Survey OpenData website and Policy options for geographic information from Ordnance Survey - Consultation.
It appears that the release of data will greatly enhance the ability of the public and individuals to maximise the use of geographic data.
From en:mapping's point of view, the most important aspect is that it will allow us to map ecological and spatial data on to Ordnance Survey maps without the need for the client to purchase Ordnance Survey data themselves.
The Ordnance Survey products which are to be made available under the new agreement are:
-
OS Street View®
-
1:50 000 Gazetteer
-
1:250 000 Scale Colour Raster
-
OS Locator
-
Boundary-Line
-
Code-Point® Open
-
Meridian 2
-
Strategi®
-
MiniScale®
-
OS VectorMap District (available 1 May 2010)
-
Land-Form PANORAMA®
The vast majority of these datasets will add value to our clients' GIS projects, but the OS VectorMap dataset will prove the most valuable because it provides a customisable versatile version of the 1:10,000 colour raster.
This data can be clearly shown at scales between 1:5000 and 1:20,000, and has changing styles according to the level of zoom and subsequent level of detail required. We are eagerly anticipating the release of this dataset on 1st May 2010 and by employing this in our clients' projects it will produce better quality maps and clearer representations.
In summary, Ordnance Survey OpenData provides an excellent opportunity for all organisations dealing in spatial data to start integrating it into their reporting. And because the OS data pricing structure has now changed it means that the costs associated with purchasing data should also come down. Therefore, if you are considering using Ordnance Survey data in your projects then please contact us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to see how we can assist.