It was all looking so good.. As announced in the budget day strategy document, the Ordnance Survey was amongst others things asked to focus its corporate resources at increasing the amount of innovation around it’s products and services.
Last week the OS launched their Geovation website, and have opened up somewhat their OpenSpace API – all very positive..
But then this morning comes news that Gavin Brocks kml file which allowed OpenSpace tiles to be displayed by any application that understands kml including Google Earth has been blocked by the OS for … well I’m not sure actually read Gavins blog post on the subject for the details.
I hope this is a case of one part of the organisation not realising the world has changed, but then again maybe it’s too early to tell. As someone who tried to get the OS to take innovation more seriously during my time there, I am just very disappointed for Gavin, if not surprised.
UPDATE 19/5 : The OS has reversed its decision, see Gavin’s blog for details
Written and submitted from the Google Offices, Mountain View California.
From Jeff Thurston at the Vector One blog, news that the Dutch operation of Landmark Information Group have won a case at the Dutch High Courts asserting that they should be able to access environment information from the City of Amsterdam without high license costs or limitations to its reuse.
This is an interesting development because it is an area where there is little case law despite the fact that the reuse of public sector information as a policy in Europe has been established for a number of years.
The key element to this decision was that is was not appropriate for the City to enforce expensive licensing on a database which was created by them to carry out their core activities.
Written and submitted from the Google Office, London.
Tuesday of this week I along with 700 others spent a wonderful evening being entertained by the wonderful Stephen Fry at the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), London. In a lecture theatre which had heard, first hand, the exploits of the great explorers Livingstone, Scott, Shackleton and in the modern era Neil Armstrong, we listened to a great Englishman who admitted to be awed to be speaking in a room of such historical importance.
For most of its history the RGS has sponsored expeditions increasingly scientific in nature to explore the planet, and of course there is still much to be discovered by “Field Science”, getting out and making measurements of our every changing environment.
Early this year I had the privilege of meeting Pen Hadow a modern polar explorer who is currently on an expedition to the North Pole making vitally important measurements of the ice thickness. This is very much the model of a modern day expedition, requiring all the skill, expertise and endurance of the past expeditions, while making use of modern technologies such as Google Earth, RSS feeds and YouTube to communicate their progress and findings in almost real time.
To the man in the street, Hadow and the Catlin Arctic Survey Expedition really encapsulates what Geography is..
Catlin Arctic Survey
During the 1990’s the RGS shifted it focus towards Academic Geography, and in 1995 merged with the Institute of British Geographers, and since then it’s focus both in terms of direction and funding has been to support the academic study of geography in Universities and Research Institutes and away from large expeditions.
This shift has upset many, and a group of fellows are now campaigning for a return to “field science”, not replacing totally the support of academic geography, but providing more balance. Their case is presented at the Beagle Campaign website, the campaign rather neatly is named after Darwins expedition which itself was part funded by the RGS.
I must admit I find their case quite compelling, it was field science that many years ago turned me into a Geographer, and I continue to be inspired by the exploits of those who venture into the still many inhospitable parts of the world to make important scientific measurements, and bring make vivid descriptions of our fragile planet.
In the age of Google Earth such exploration becomes even more meaningful, as it and other Internet tools provide a way of quickly disseminating the findings of expeditions in a way that is accessible to all.
I will be voting for resolution which calls on the RGS to return to mounting its own multidisciplinary research projects for the advancement of geographical science and knowledge.
Geography has perhaps a last chance to regain its relevance in the eyes of the general public, organising high profile expeditions which demonstrate the value of science in the field would be a great way of doing this, in a way that funding desk based research such as “Global change and post-socialist urban identities” does not !
Written and submitted from home, using my home 802.11 network.
I gave a presentation at the Digital Cities Seminar yesterday and was fascinated by some of the maps Sir Terry Farrell showed as part of his presentation which will be featured in his new book Shaping London.
It is always refreshing to look at how people other than cartographers choose to represent geospatial information, the image below taken from Terry’s presentation show the Thames Gateway, the area of urban redevelopment east of London, and takes its inspiration from Beck’s Underground map.
Thames Gateway
Beck’s map (or plan ?) is truly iconic and the map of the Thames gateway uses the Circle Line from it both to provide a geographic anchor for the map and to provide relative scale. I always find it amusing to remind people that one of the most famous maps in the world is the product of a graphic designer based on the principles of laying out electrical circuit diagrams.
Becks Tube Map
In my presentation I made the point that we are increasing moving to a time when maps are customised to an individuals needs, and will become task focused delivered on mobile devices and as a result transient. Indeed for many tasks where a map was once needed a location aware application can provide users with the information they need without a map display.
Just step back and think about this one button from the “infamous” National Rail app for the iPhone.
Next Train Home
Press it anywhere in the UK, and it will tell you the time of the next train home, and when you would expect to arrive. As a geospatial professional think about all the functionality and data that is hidden behind this simple button, and the analogue sources of information you would need to have access to to provide the answer.
As a Geographer sometimes it hard to accept, but it is still true, that it is often not about the map !!
Written and submitted from the Google Office, London.
I must commend the Ordnance Survey for publishing their new strategy as a wordpress blog, along the lines of the Power of Information final report, this is really a very good idea.
It’s a pity it’s not working at the moment, hope the error message is not a bad sign..I’m sure this is a server issue rather than second thoughts about the blog format.
Anyway it terms of high level content, it’s the expected classic civil service compromise, no free data but the promise of improved licensing and an innovation programme. An expanded OpenSpace, still restricted in terms of full-commercial use, although hopefully changes will allow more mash-ups .
Why the OS could have not have made these changes this three or more years ago would be a fair question to ask.
The new more commercial Ordnance Survey entity will I’m sure prove to be controversial for many as it will be competing with existing commercial partners on a “level playing field” while at the same time branded as Ordnance Survey.
Lets hope this is the first sign of a more open Ordnance Survey, ready to listen more to the community that has little choice but to use it.
Written and submitted from the Nottingham University, Nottingham using my three UMTS modem.
The Treasury has spoken.. (that in itself gives you a sense of where this might be heading !!)
From the Treasury Operational Efficiency Programme report published yesterday..
“The OEP has concluded so far that Ordnance Survey needs to be more customer-focused and commercially driven. The Government is therefore publishing a new commercial strategy for the Ordnance Survey on their website.
The new strategy balances the requirement to maintain the highest quality standards with the need to significantly enhance ease of access to geographic data and services for both commercial and non-commercial use.
The new strategy seeks to equip Ordnance Survey to thrive in and better support competition and innovation in a wider geographical information market that is being transformed by advances in technology. It is a significant and ambitious programme of change. The Government has set key milestones for delivery in 6 and 12 months’ time and beyond, as well as a process for independent review and challenge of progress.
If sufficient progress is not made to promote competition and innovation in these timescales, the Government will consider further reforms. Opportunities to accelerate the delivery of initiatives through introducing further commercial experience and capabilities will be fully explored over the coming year. ”
Whilst hunting through YouTube for a video to use in a presentation, I came across this video.
If I remember rightly this was the first time a viral video was produced by any part of the UK government, I might be mistaken on that, but the video was not met with universal acclaim in Southampton..
Shame a great video and a pretty good product – paper maps without edges…
Nice to see that the OS has a YouTube channel now, there are some classics there..
Written and submitted from the Google Office, London.
From the Treasury Operational Efficiency Programme