Freeing up the OS data
The last government has seen a lot of data placed into the public domain, but not some of the really useful data that website builders and small UK businesses are crying out for. The Ordnance Survey has gone some way towards meeting that need by freeing up some of the small-scale and mid-scale mapping data.
Without a doubt, mapping is an increasingly important requirement for web applications, and Britain has some of the finest mapping technology in the world in the shape of its Ordnance Survey. Unfortunately, its prices for the use of mapping data on websites have been prohibitive for many smaller companies. This has seen websites turning instead to Google Maps which is currently free for public facing websites. On the other hand, if Ordnance Survey didn't charge for its map data then some argue that it may not have a sustainable future in its current form. It receives around £15 million a year in government funding and makes income from its paper maps.
At the start of April the government announced that it was freeing up the use of some, but not all, of the OS data. Whilst the initial announcement suggested it was limited to public sector use, the statement on the OS website says "Charities, non-profit making organisations, volunteer led groups, other social and community groups, entrepreneurs and commercial organisations may all use OS OpenSpace".
There is a huge set of terms and conditions to be picked through but it is a measure of the interest that this announcement created amongst developers that the OS website slowed to a crawl for several days under the sheer weight of visitors. We are still looking at the documentation and it will probably take several months for developers at large to find ways to use the service effectively and for it to start appearing as an alternative to Google maps. I am hopeful though that the quality of mapping will be better than Google Maps, and also pleased to see that it includes a gazetteer function and a postcode search, although like Google the data is only available via a JavaScript API which may limit the ability to integrate it with existing databases.
For a tentative first step, it is a significant one, and exceeded my expectations. What happens in the future will depend greatly on the next government but if we see a similar amount of freeing up of the Royal Mail's postcode data then it will provide a big boost for people building UK websites.
30th April 2010
This article comes from the SKILLZONE email newsletter, published monthly since January 2008, and covering topics related to technology and the internet. All articles and artwork in the SKILLZONE newsletter are orignal content.