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SpatialNews.com Feature March 08, 2000 Facts and figures about Ordnance Survey, Britain's national mapping agency - "From one revolution to another"The Government realises that in order to plan adequate defences to repel any invasion, the South Coast of England needs to be comprehensively and accurately mapped. So it instructs its Board of Ordnance - the defence ministry of its day - to speed the necessary survey work. That historic decision led to the mapping the whole country in detail, and is also the source of the intriguing name 'Ordnance Survey', an organisation which eventually grew to become the world's leading map-maker. Today it is a £100-million-a-year civilian organisation producing internationally-renowned paper maps and computer data products for business, leisure, administrative and educational use. It is still part of the UK Government, but it covers all its operating costs by selling its products and services or licensing others to use its copyright material. In 1999 the Government changed Ordnance Survey's official status to that of a 'Trading Fund', giving it more responsibility for its own finances and planning and more freedom to develop new initiatives. At the same time, a National Interest Mapping Services Agreement (NIMSA) was put in place - a Government contract to fund specific mapping activities which are vital to the national interest but which cannot be justified on purely commercial grounds. They include such tasks as keeping the most detailed mapping of remote areas up-to-date - areas where the mapping is vital for public administration but where there is little other demand. Although Ordnance Survey's main focus is Britain, its expertise is sought across the world. It has carried out work in 60 overseas countries, from Albania to Zambia, via Germany, Korea and Sweden, and is currently particularly active in eastern Europe and east Asia. In all, it has around 1,850 staff, of which about 450 are constantly surveying the changing British landscape from a network of offices stretching from Inverness to Truro. Its surveyors use high-tech measuring equipment to gather information, including state-of-the-art theodolite 'total workstations' and hand-held pen computers, called PRISM, on which the latest changes can be plotted. Surveying staff can also pinpoint precise locations at ground level by using Global Positioning System (GPS) receiving equipment to lock on to signals from a network of 24 orbiting satellites. Information gathered by ground staff is supplemented by an intensive programmes of aerial photography, particularly in rural areas. All the new information is added to what has been dubbed the 'master map of Britain', officially the National Topographic Database. This is held on computer at Ordnance Survey's Southampton head office and it features details as fine as the shapes of individual buildings, the alignment of roadside kerbstones and the exact location of public telephone boxes. The result is one vast, seamless electronic map covering the whole of Britain, replacing around 230,000 of its most detailed maps that were previously printed on paper. Unlike the old paper maps, the computer version can be updated daily and extracts of the latest 'edition' can be accessed instantly by the public through a network of specialist shops - known as Superplan Agents - across the country. This speed of updating is, perhaps, the most dramatic example of how computers have revolutionised map-making and the collection of geographical information. Although already a world-leading map resource, the National Topographic Database is being further enhanced and restructured to make it even easier for other people's information to be integrated in to it, held as separate layers, or associated with Ordnance Survey mapping. The whole project will establish what will be known as the Digital National Framework - an initiative which is part of a major new investment programme to ensure Ordnance Survey remains the world's leading mapping organisation. In two centuries, Ordnance Survey has gone from one revolution to another. It was founded because of fears generated by an historic revolution in France, and is now a key player in a technological revolution which is transforming mapping and geographical information businesses across the world. Britain's favourite maps To the public, Ordnance Survey is best known for its paper maps. In fact, there are around 1,000 different recreational and leisure maps alone, together covering every corner of Britain - however remote. Computers have transformed how maps are made and updated. Creating them on screen rather than by hand means they can be 'drawn' more quickly and revised more frequently than ever before. The flagship of its range is the 1:50,000 scale Landranger - Britain's most popular map series, selling around two million copies a year. In all, 204 sheets cover every part of the country, each packed with information so the user can get to know an area really well. Instantly recognisable by their distinctive pink covers, each Landranger map covers 40 km by 40 km (25 miles by 25 miles) of town and country and all are at the scale of 2 cm to 1 km (1¼ inches to 1 mile). For those wanting to explore an area on foot, by cycle or on horseback, there is a family of more detailed maps at the larger 1:25,000 scale. Outdoor Leisure (yellow covers), Explorer (orange), and Pathfinder (green) maps all show details such as the precise routes of public footpaths and bridleways. Taken together, the three series cover the whole of Britain at a scale of 4 cm to 1 km, or 2½ inches to 1 mile. By 2003, the larger and higher specification Explorer maps will have completely replaced Pathfinder maps as part of a nationwide map upgrading programme. Blue-covered Travelmaster maps are ideal for motorists, as eight regional maps and one national sheet make route-planning simple. Each map includes a place-names index and key tourist facilities are clearly marked on every sheet. Other maps include Touring maps of major holiday areas, wall maps for schools, planning maps for professional use, historical maps, and many customised maps tailor-made for individual businesses and authorities. On CD-ROM there is also an Interactive Atlas of Great Britain for home reference and an Interactive MapExplorer to help people learn map reading and navigation skills. All can be bought from 400 official stockists across Britain, while thousands of other High Street and local shops sell a selection of titles appropriate to their area. People connected to the Internet can get instant access to maps, as they can download free motoring-style mapping from Ordnance Survey's own World Wide Web site at www.ordnancesurvey.gov.uk There they can also 'preview' hundreds of other leisure maps on-line and search gazetteers for particular locations. Anyone needing to identify which maps are needed to cover a specific area, or wanting to know where to buy them, should consult the web site or phone Ordnance Survey's Customer HelpLine on 08456 05 05 05 (local call rate) for instant advice. Credit card users can order maps by post via this number or by dialing sales staff direct on 0845 200 2712. The fast-growing world of digital map data Ordnance Survey may be best known for its paper maps, but computer data is already the biggest part of its business - and it is an aspect which is growing fast. The National Topographic Database allows new and innovative products to be created quickly to meet the needs of business and public administration. More and more businesses and public services are using computer-based geographical information systems (GIS), allowing the rapid integration and analysis of information from many sources, effectively bringing maps to life in an interactive way. The market is set to grow faster still with the development of a National Geospatial Data Framework (NGDF), in which Ordnance Survey is a key player. As 80% of all information collected in Britain has some geographic feature - for example a postcode or a National Grid map reference - the potential for electronically linking different sets of information by adopting a common framework is enormous. Already, Ordnance Survey data is used by a wide range of public bodies, from running the 2001 census to locating suitable derelict land for housebuilding; from identifying areas of deprivation to planning new access to the countryside; and from controlling the flow of urban traffic to helping the police detect crime patterns and catch offenders. And the uses in the private sector are enormous, ranging from targeting marketing effort to calculating insurance risks and from managing property portfolios to developing in-car navigation systems. In fact, so vital is Ordnance Survey's data to both the public and private sectors that a recent independent study calculated that around £100 billion worth of economic activity in Britain is dependent on it! In addition to making products available direct to customers, Ordnance Survey is committed to achieving increased use of its mapping information through an ever-growing number of business partners. There are already many such 'Licensed Partners', carrying out a range of commercial activities including publishing, data reselling, the provision of customised data and the creation of entirely new products and services. Each of these partners work with Ordnance Survey data - for example, one uses it to produces a package to help monitor and tackle pollution patterns, while others have created software to help plan effective distribution by haulage companies. And many traditional publishers rely on Ordnance Survey data in producing atlases, guides and other publications. Partners also include the many Superplan Agents strategically located around the country, each linked to Ordnance Survey's database so they can supply customers with the very latest mapping on demand. If Ordnance Survey or its partners do not have an off-the-shelf product to meet the precise needs of a business, consultancy services are available from Ordnance Survey's Solution Centre to help crack the problem. Its consultants work with customers and others in both the private and public sectors to help people get the most out of their own data. For example, Ordnance Survey can help with collecting geographical information and getting it in to digital form, integrating information from different sources, managing complex databases and presenting information in both digital and printed formats. Advice, consultancy and tailor-made training services are also provided for customers both in Britain and overseas. Datafile These are just some of Ordnance Survey's computer data products: Land-Line - The most detailed digital mapping of Britain, showing the shapes of individual buildings, surveyed at scales of up to 1:1,250. It is used, for example, by utility companies, estate managers, agricultural landowners and by local and central government. Mapfacts The first Ordnance Survey map was published in 1801 - it was of the County of Kent and was drawn at a scale of 1 inch to 1 mile. It is now one of around a million old maps in Ordnance Survey's archives. Like to know more? For more information about Ordnance Survey, the public can contact Ordnance Survey by: logging on to its web site at www.ordnancesurvey.gov.uk Contacts Members of the general public who would like further information related to this story are invited to contact Customer Information. Enquiries from the media should be directed to the Press Office. Philip Round Ordnance Survey Senior Press Officer E-mail pround@ordsvy.gov.uk Phone: 01703 792635 Paula Good Ordnance Survey Press Officer E-mail pgood@ordsvy.gov.uk Phone: 01703 792568 www.ordsvy.gov.uk
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