A range of new licences from Ordnance Survey provide users with free access to a wide range of mapping data for experimentation and development.
The move forms part of Ordnance Survey’s new business strategy, which aims to further promote the innovative use of geographic information. Users can now download sample areas of premium products direct from the Ordnance Survey website, while even more data – up to 10% of anywhere in the country – is available for free to those that request it.
The three new licences – entitled ‘Discover’, ‘Evaluate’ and ‘Developer’ – make it easier for businesses, government agencies, social groups and entrepreneurs to experiment with Ordnance Survey data and realise the value of location-based information. Samples of 22 datasets are available, including the entire OS MasterMap product suite of topography, imagery, address and transport network layers.
The licences, one of which is only half an A4 page in length, have been created specifically to be easy to understand and to offer the chance to test, develop and demonstrate Ordnance Survey data internally or to potential customers without cost.
Vanessa Lawrence CB, Ordnance Survey Director General and Chief Executive, comments: “Fostering the innovative use of geographic information for social or commercial benefit is one of the key goals of our new business strategy. The free licences, along with services like OS OpenSpace, reflect our commitment to fulfilling that goal and I should like to encourage anyone interested in experimenting with Ordnance Survey mapping to take advantage of them.”
The new licences and free data downloads can be accessed by visiting www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/products/innovations