A New Geographic Information Framework for Great Britain

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Keith J. Murray and Duncan Shiell

Abstract mapping agency for over 80 years now: the Ordnance Survey The knowledge economy, enabled by easier and faster elec- of Northern Ireland (OSNI). In Great Britain over the past tronic processing, has brought geography to the fore in the 212 years the world of mapping, and latterly the world of minds of a wide variety of users, from politicians, govern- geographic information, has witnessed enormous change, ment, and the commercial sector and to the citizen. This from the technical and technological perspectives and in the appears to be a make or break moment for national mapping business environment. agencies involved in mapping and geography. Geographic The pace of change is faster today than it has ever been information, more than mapping, is now in demand. This and will continue to accelerate in the months and years to information needs to fulfill specific roles and needs for the come. A successful existence of 212 years doesn’t guarantee a people who use it, often by integrating with all kinds of exist- future existence of even 212 days if the organization does not ing information, such as client inventories, property informa- keep ahead of change and provide what its customers need, tion, and consumer services for “where is my nearest?” at the right time and at prices that provide value for money. The Ordnance Survey (OS) embarked on a program to National Mapping Agencies (NMA) do not have significant redevelop the existing National Topographic Database in the sums of money. They need to channel their often scarce re- late 1990s and this is now being transformed with the release sources into the right investments that will meet market needs of the OS MasterMap based on the Digital National Framework, now and provide a sound basis for further investment in the which is a conceptual model and standards for integrating geo- future. Set against a downward pressure on prices, the eco- graphic information. nomics of managing NMAs are finely balanced. However, fit- There are several parallels with The National Map being for-purpose and nationally consistent, up-to-date geographic developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Both initia- information is a fundamental asset of any nation state. The tives aim to provide national, complete, and maintained geo- longer-term sustainability of that asset is strengthened when referencing frameworks that can unite data from all kinds of the economic threshold supports maintenance. Meeting the organizations through the common denominator: location. next generation needs is only possible if the information is The initiatives each aim to offer easy access to users who can kept up-to-date and relevant on a continuous basis. The re- choose just those geographic areas and layers of information sults of the stop-start economic support experienced by the they require for their application. There are also differences in Ordnance Survey in the 1920s in Great Britain clearly demon- the way the data will be maintained and how the supporting strated the weakness of that approach. The crisis led to the business models operate. For example, in Great Britain, the formation of the Davidson Committee (Ordnance Survey, user pays full data licence costs while, in the United States, 1938) that established the foundations for the modern Ord- data are provided at the cost of dissemination. nance Survey. NMAs need appropriate sources of funding to It remains to be seen just how successful these initiatives meet that goal and help underpin the e-future in geographic will be in the longer term and it is likely that the strategies information. will have to evolve. One thing is clear. Without a modern national georeferencing infrastructure and the ability to effort- People Want Information—Not Maps lessly join up all kinds of disparate geographies, our national Making the right decision is more important today than it has economies will be weaker and much duplication and frag- ever been, whether the decision is at government level in sup- mentation will be evident. In Great Britain we encountered porting the development of the national economy or by citi- such a situation in the 1920s and 30s, which led to a funda- zens preparing their own plans for the future. Careful use of mental review and established the foundations for the remit resources is critical everywhere in the world, whatever the and type of organization the Ordnance Survey is today. As state of the national economy: national mapping organizations worldwide redefine them- selves in an e-business environment, the future today looks • Where do we locate 20,000 new homes in this town over the to be challenging but is also offering exciting opportunities. next two years? We can learn a lot from each other. • Which are the priority areas for economic regeneration? • Which people in this area are at greatest risk from a natural disaster (e.g., flooding)? Great Britain and the Ordnance Survey • How will an integrated transport infrastructure work? The Ordnance Survey was established in 1791 to support • What risks is my home exposed to and how can I protect it? military needs at that time. Soon after, the civilian benefits • And so on. were recognized and the Ordnance Survey (Great Britain) is today responsible for the definitive mapping of England, Scotland, and Wales. Northern Ireland is a province of the Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing United Kingdom and has been supported by a separate Vol. 69, No. 10, October 2003, pp. 1175–1182. 0099-1112/03/6910–1175$3.00/0 Ordnance Survey, Romsey Road, Southampton SO16 4EU, © 2003 American Society for Photogrammetry United Kingdom ([email protected]). and Remote Sensing

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These are vital questions to each and every one of us in banking and finance industry does. The dot com practitioners the rapidly changing world in which we live. Decision mak- felt they had invented a magic formula, but those dot com ing requires knowledge, knowledge requires reliable informa- businesses that are still with us and which remain strong tion, and reliable information requires data from several today used old fashioned business logic coupled with innova- sources to be integrated with a known level of assurance. tion and the exploitation of an existing infrastructure, i.e., the A key underlying factor in many of these decisions is geogra- internet. Users of geographic information need interoperabil- phy and, more precisely, “geography within an integrated ity (Plate 1) not only in information and supporting technolo- information infrastructure.” gies, but also in conducting all aspects of our business environment to promote sustainable take up, growth, and future The Evolution of Mapping Towards Information development. Mapping has evolved rapidly over the past 40 years. We have Interoperability is seen as business critical (Murray and seen the age of paper mapping evolving into digital mapping. Mahoney, 2003). However, it now is recognized that inter- This has been a period of uncertainty for many users, where operability is not only a technical objective, but also that the the data, the tools, and the processes were often complex and associated commercial and legal issues, and most of all the expensive compared with the ageing but tried and tested tech- political relationships, must be resolved if any progress is to nologies that had supported us for the previous 100 years or be made towards a common goal. more. The graphics outputs from digital mapping, while easily repeatable, were often disappointing in terms of Interoperable Geographic Information presentation and visualization. The OXERA report in Great Britain (OXERA, 1999) showed The success of the digital mapping era was to grow the that in 1996 around £100 billion of GDP development is based use of electronic map information, even though this was on Ordnance Survey information. However, little of the infor- mostly used as a simple backdrop to other information over- mation that was collected, managed, and used could be easily laid on top. The unstructured nature of the data meant that cross referenced or support thematic data interchange. This automated and routine intelligent use of the data has always applies to Great Britain and, to an even greater extent, to been limited. other parts of the world. When a user receives geographic Today, we stand at the start of a new age that is witness- data, it is not uncommon for considerable additional effort to ing the power of geography and its integration with the much be required to prepare it for an application or match it with wider world of “information.” Governments around the world another dataset(s). In many countries it may be out of date or are recognizing that geography and flexible mapping are key require “cleaning” to make it fit for purpose. All of this activ- to national economic development at all levels. Beyond na- ity is an essential, but unwelcome, burden on whoever has tional boundaries this is now stimulating development further to undertake it and is a barrier to progress in developing the with new cross-national initiatives now emerging such as knowledge economy. While it may provide income for com- INSPIRE—the concept of spatial data infrastructure for Europe. panies who spend much of their time joining up fragmented Spatial Data Infrastructures datasets, it leads inevitably to massive duplication and a major waste of energy, national resources, and potential. The term spatial data infrastructure (SDI)isarelatively recent one, entering the vocabulary within the last 10 to 15 years. Very often this data preparation will be undertaken on behalf of the government. Hence, the taxpayer ultimately pays the The concept of an SDI appears to offer different visions to different users or even communities. For some, it is a one- price: stop shop for geographic information (GI)ofall kinds; for • Through higher than necessary taxes, others, it is simply a way of removing all the perceived • A government machine slowed down by poor quality uncon- “barriers” to access to any geographic information they wish; nected information, and and for others, there is less emphasis on data and more on • Poor strategic decision making at national, regional, and local networked services. What is clear is that mostly these are levels. largely aspirational ideas that differ between communities. The time is right to think about the future and the kind of Consequently, there are currently few examples of the con- geographic information framework required. ceptual SDI as an operational tool, still less, the funding to develop the components required to realize and maintain The Ordnance Survey Vision for the Future those early visions. The Ordnance Survey’s direction is driven by meeting cus- Taking a different perspective, one could argue that most tomer’s needs. This is summarized in the organization’s Vision: nations already have an SDI of some form and it is working today. Very often the data are far from perfect and little of it “Ordnance Survey and its partners will be the content joined-up. Most organizations are creating data for specific provider of choice for location based information in the operational needs to meet tight targets, and this leads to isola- new knowledge economy.” tion and “data silos.” Today, data from separate organizations can be typically isolated, duplicated, and inconsistent. This In the early days of electronic publishing we simply leads to major inefficiencies in processes and subsequent “made the data we had available.” Initially this was simple inability to fulfill SDI’s future potential in the economy. topographic digital map data that replicated the chart paper maps. We soon generated demand, and other products were Time for a New Direction developed and added, such as road centerline databases, Contrary to a lot of popular opinion, there is no magic formula boundaries, elevation models, addresses, and so on, some in to improve the position each country finds itself in today and collaboration with other agencies and the private sector. How- develop a better infrastructure overnight. No amount of legis- ever, there was little explicit linkage across these products and, lation, funding, or restructuring of organizations will bring although all the products are updated, they were effectively such change about. Indeed, many of the issues that we need to never in synchronization from a customer perspective. In the address are not new; we have met them every day in the geo- past, a building may have been available within 24 hours of graphic information industry and in different aspects of our survey, but the related address information may still have lives. What is new, and this is only just starting to emerge, taken up to 3 months to be released. is the need to exchange information accurately, reliably, Customers today expect more; they are now much more robustly, and all with a very high level of automation, as the experienced in handling geographic information, they are

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better prepared professionally, and they demand value for agencies through collaborative partnerships. The OS MasterMap money. Many are at very different stages of strategic and tech- also embodies the service delivery facilities of the data. In meet- nical development in geographic information. They are all ing demanding government e-business targets, the data can be under increasing pressure to provide electronic information ordered on-line via a map interface and delivered on-line or via in some form. In many cases the e-government targets for media. Change-only information at the feature level is supplied 2005 (E-Envoy: e-GIF website: http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/, on-line after the initial supply (OS MasterMap website, http:// last accessed 27 June 2003) are also prompting process re- www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/os_mastermap, last accessed engineering in some cases, and in most cases better informa- 04 July 2003). tion and connectivity. To meet this challenge, the Ordnance Survey has embarked on several parallel developments to ensure that cus- DNF—A Model for Geographic Data and Information tomers can start to concentrate on gaining greater direct bene- The Concept of the Digital National Framework fits from geographic information. This is being achieved by The concept underlying this “joined up” approach is an ini- making major investments in the data, service delivery infra- tiative called the Digital National Framework (DNF) which was structure, and other aspects. Key initiatives, already under- initiated in 1999–2000 in consultation with the GI community way, aim to establish new levels of customer care, supported in Great Britain. Some elements of the DNF are being devel- by a rapidly evolving customer-friendly on-line service deliv- oped in partnership with other mapping agencies, and the ery channels. All of this is being achieved within a major concept is gradually being evolved in conjunction with a wide Ordnance Survey development program and realized as the TM number of users in the government, utility, and private sec- OS MasterMap . tors. Methodologies and standards are critical in the informa- The first step towards the new database took place in tion age, and this is a key pillar of The National Map strategy. November 2001 with the first release of the OS MasterMap. It was recognized that there was an absence of a formal docu- Like The National Map, the OS MasterMap is a seamless, mented structure to support a national georeferencing infra- national, and layered database (Plate 2) of geographic infor- structure, and it is the aim of Digital National Framework to mation. The OS MasterMap also incorporates the supporting fill that gap: customer selection and delivery service and will, in time, supersede all existing detailed datasets developed over the “DNF is a set of enabling principles and operational past 15 or more years. From that base all other datasets at rules that underpin and facilitate the integration of geo- varying resolutions will eventually be derived, as far as pos- referenced information from multiple sources.” sible by full automation. Each “layer” is broken into “themes.” The customer or partner can then select the geographic area Scope of DNF and just those themes they require for their application. Within the overall DNF, model features (such as buildings, Following initial delivery, update is provided on a change land parcels, roads, etc.) are each referenced by a unique fea- only basis, and all vector or text information is supplied in ture identifier known as a TOID to enable georeferencing and Geography Mark-up Language (GML)andGML only. data linking and to support unambiguous thematic data exchange (Plate 4). The scope of DNF documentation includes Developing the OS MasterMap the national coordinate system and its relationships with the The primary role of the OS MasterMap is to provide the geo- Global Positioning System (GPS) and other datums such as graphic information framework for Great Britain and the un- the hydrographic chart datum. A key part of the documenta- derpinning georeferencing base for location-based information tion, currently under development, encompasses the relation- inside and outside the government. With the OS MasterMap, ship of “reference data” and the data created by users and the users have a robust, assured, maintained, and integrated foun- inter-relationship of these various datasets. There will also be dation on which they can establish their own thematic infor- material to support data quality, terminology, and other data- mation such as environmental records, crop types and statis- related issues. tics, crime records, property information, and so on. Provided that georeferencing to this base is performed consistently “DNF is primarily concerned with geospatial information by the wide variety and growing number of users, the poten- and its relationship to other data and information.” tial to integrate information and perform reliable analysis will be very significant. DNF Principles The first release included several themes of Topographic Fundamental principles and drivers within the DNF concept information (Buildings, Land, Water, etc.). As the most de- necessitate reuse of information (capture once and use many tailed and universal data layer, it was appropriate that this times) and the ability to use common methods of publishing information was developed first and other layers then engi- combinations of the reference data and user data for publica- neered to fit this common base. The Topographic layer con- tion at smaller scales (Lilley, 2003), thus enabling flexible ren- tains over 430 million separately referenced real world fea- dering and visualization to support users’ publication needs tures such as buildings, land parcels, roads, paths, streams of all kinds from printed documents to web services. The DNF and rivers, etc. (Plate 3). principles include In September 2002 the national georeferenced database of 26 million postal addresses was brought into the OS • “The operational guidelines shall be driven by the strategic MasterMap environment. Each address is referenced to the needs of the wider GI community but always to the ultimate corresponding building object. In March 2003, this informa- benefit of the user/customer, in the knowledge economy, be tion was augmented by the inclusion of the two more layers: they a business organisation or an end consumer; (1) an initial theme of the Integrated Transport Network (ITN) • Data should be collected once and then maintained at the layer, including highways and drive restriction information, level of detail where this can be done most effectively over time; and (2) a 25-cm color orthoimagery layer. • Reference information/data should be captured at the highest Further datasets are also being prepared for migration or resolution and multi-resolution publishing requirements met inclusion in the future, for example, height; administrative, by deriving data; and electoral, and statistical geography boundaries; land use; etc. • DNF will incorporate and adopt existing de facto and de jure Many of these are being developed in conjunction with other standards wherever they are proven and robust.”

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The benefits of DNF are seen to be data infrastructure, there is stronger emphasis within DNF on “geographic information,” and it provides a concept of a “Reduced data collection and maintenance costs, • framework for such information. This implies intelligent in- • Reduced data integration costs and times, • Easier and greater reliability in information/data interoper- formation and better inter-connectivity, which in turn implies ability, robust levels of data quality and higher levels of data engi- • Easier user data exchange and sharing, neering through integrated processes and maintenance rou- • Greater reuse of information and thereby higher value of that tines. There is a strong alignment in the geographic informa- information, tion framework with existing information systems concepts as • Improved intra- and inter-business communication, used in finance, banking, electronic point of sale, etc. • Reduced data duplication, and • A stronger knowledge economy.” Implementing the Vision Framework for Geographic Information Ordnance Survey Role The OS MasterMap, based on DNF principles, will provide The Ordnance Survey is both a separate government depart- the foundation for the geographic information framework for ment and an agency, and reports directly to a Minister. Sev- Great Britain. The concept is an advanced form of a spatial eral key reviews and the foresight of its management over the past 212 years have evolved the role and nature of the organization’s activities. A key turning point was the Davidson Committee in 1935–38 when it was recognized that the organization had to move forward with the new technology and new products. In more recent years the Government under- takes a formal review of the role and nature of the organization every five years, and a range of options can be pursued from abolition to privatization. The last Quinquennial Review (QQR) was undertaken in 2001–02. The QQR also coincided with a review by a Select Committee; this is an independent team of Members of Parliament. The QQR confirmed the current status as a Trading Fund. Consequently, the new Frame- work Document currently being drafted is expected to continue to reinforce the organization’s role in providing the primary georeferencing infrastructure for Great Britain. The new Framework Document is likely to include the following strategic objectives:

Plate 1. Interoperability is applicable to all aspects of a • “collect, portray and distribute the deﬁnitive record of the natural, built and planned environment of Great Britain that geographic information economy. meets customer needs and the national interest in the most effective manner;

Plate 2. The OS MasterMap concept—the framework for geographic information in Great Britain. A seamless, interoperable layered database where users can select information by area and just those themes they require. Four of the above layers are now available.

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Plate 3. The OS MasterMap—Topographic layer, Westminster, London.

Ordnance Survey Business Model—User Pays Since its inception in 1791, the Ordnance Survey was a sub- stantially government funded department, but that changed from the mid-1970s with the introduction of cost-recovery- based financial targets. These targets have risen from an initial 25 percent cost recovery to achieving an average of 9 percent Return on Capital Employed over five years to 31 March 2004. This follows the transfer to Trading Fund Status in 1999, since which time the Ordnance Survey has received no direct funding from the Government (Parliamentary Vote). The Vote was money approved by Parliament to cover the shortfall between revenue and costs in any financial year and had to be negoti- ated annually. This growth in the business has primarily been achieved Plate 4. The full DNF model underpins the framework for by significantly expanding the use of geographic information geographic information where users can georeference their based on non-exclusive licensing of data and not by imposing information against real world features, using TOIDs. User arbitrary price increases in excess of inflation. The Ordnance information can then be exchanged with others reliably and Survey therefore operates a fully user-pays business model to with confidence referenced to common objects. collect, maintain, invest in, and disseminate the national mapping database of Great Britain. Customers and Partners—Licensing OS MasterMap • improve and maintain the definitive databases in a form that We license data to our customers for their internal business facilitates the association and integration of additional use. Within a few clear rules, this license enables the immedi- geographic data; ate use of our data in publications and on the web for no • provide, through the data, the underpinning framework for additional charge. Our data can be used in support of the core the government to join up its spatial information; . . . business of the licensee. For central and local government, • generate profitable revenue that will fund continuous im- this has opened up great opportunities to develop interactive provement in database content, data structure, data delivery, services that allow the citizen to get greater access to and up-to-dateness, fitness for purpose and accuracy; ....” greater influence over developments that affect them and their ...and states: local community. The only caveat we apply on internal business use licensees is that they do not use our data in services “Ordnance Survey is the National Mapping Agency of Great Britain, collecting, maintaining, managing and distributing the that compete unfairly with our properly licensed partners definitive record of the features of the natural and built environ- who have developed similar commercial services. If an inter- ment, the definitive record of official boundaries and the record nal business use licensee wishes to compete, he/she can of such other national geographic datasets as required by govern- operate on the same commercial royalty basis as any other ment and the private sector. This record can be held in digital, licensed partner. We do not seek to restrict competition. From image, tabular or paper form to meet user needs.” the end-user’s point of view, competition is healthy. We

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simply wish to foster fair and equitable competition if our data are being used in similar services. The method of funding is perhaps the greatest difference between the OS MasterMap and The National Map. Such licenses still permit web-publishing to enable the user to com- municate, say, by a local authority publishing local planning information to the citizen. It is the total dependence on paying customers that has brought a sea change in thinking across the organization. Everyone now has to think about customers as a priority. If we do not provide the customer with what they want, the customer can, and will, go somewhere else. There is no longer the comfort of applying for an extension of the annual Vote, not that this was ever an easy option. Equally, customers con- tinually expect more for less which, in turn, demands an on- going critical reassessment of costs incurred and transfer of the same pressure to our own suppliers to reduce their costs. Figure 1. NGD update: we can expect the proportions to Progress of the OS MasterMap change significantly in coming years, with more data being As more layers are incorporated, the greater will be the adop- sourced through CODES agreements. tion by the community. This, however, is a step change for all stakeholders involved. The step is from a world of flat files of “digital mapping,” more often simply used as a backdrop, to a database environment of inter-connected intelligent geographic information. This is as much a step change as the building or property parcel made each year. There is a contin- move from paper to digital mapping was 20 years ago. There- uing increase towards update at the attribute level in addition fore, we cannot expect a rapid migration by users, and the to the geometrical change that has always been the main migration from past to future must fit in with their own in- activity. vestment plans and IT infrastructural change, which often go The primary sources of update (Figure 1) are by five- or seven-year periods of investment amortization. • The Ordnance Survey’s own survey force, which will soon be One particular area of growth has been through the recent less than 400 surveyors (out of a total workforce of 1550 by Pan-Government Agreement (PGA). The PGA is effectively a March 2004), using the latest real-time kinematic GPS equip- contract with the Government to provide access to a most of ment linked to handheld personal computers; the key datasets for almost 600 central government bodies. • Imagery to provide high resolution and timely coverage; the With only 40 of these bodies using geography in April 2002, Ordnance Survey has a photogrammetric unit of over 50 this had grown to 160 within the first 12 months. It is not specialists; surprising then that adoption of the OS MasterMap has been • Three large survey contracts with private sector companies for more rapid with new customers, such as those government rural mapping update; and • The supply of design plans for new developments; the Ord- agencies who have taken advantage of the PGA. nance Survey purchases data from builders and engineers and The OS MasterMap was introduced with a supporting incorporates these data into the NGD using the Capture of Data Early Adopter Programme which, for the first time, brought from External Sources (CODES) unit. customers and value added resellers into the product development and release process through the release of test data, feed- All update, whatever the method, is subject to several back, and tailoring of the final release to their comments. This quality control checks and quality assurance during the data approach has been very successful and will be extended by capture stage and subsequent data processes. A database of the “INSIGHT” program this year where customers come into “defects” is maintained, prioritized, and addressed according the product development lifecycle much sooner and therefore to need and resources available. have a much greater influence over the final look and feel of The increase in the incorporation of design plans means the release. that we can increasingly offer “PreBuild information,” which is essential to many users whose businesses revolve around Partners—Extending the Reach servicing new developments such as the utilities in planning The Ordnance Survey sees relationships with industry part- gas, electricity, and cable connections. ners as key to the successful development of this next genera- Data Quality tion geographic information framework to ensure that the benefits are fully exploited across all markets. Greater focus is Any information infrastructure demands agreed standards, being applied to develop stronger links with those who spe- methodologies, and processes. Data must be maintained to cialize in integrating information into services from land and Acceptable Quality Levels (AQL). Sampling will then be used property transactions to location-based services. The Ordnance to determine whether the data or information are fit for pur- Survey is primarily a data provider and does not compete with pose in terms of AQLs as defined by the following parameters: its partners in application markets. Accuracy—Completeness—Currency—Consistency. When substantial investments are being made annually by users of Maintenance our information, it is absolutely necessary to reassure users Decision making demands timely up-to-date information. that the foundations are secure. The Ordnance Survey has Both the OS MasterMap and The National Map have recog- always maintained tight control over all of these parameters nized this. The Ordnance Survey invests significantly in regarding the national database and has earned an enviable data maintenance and data management. Data maintenance worldwide reputation for quality. Two important major accounts for a significant proportion of the annual running investments are also currently in progress: costs of the organization. The maintenance of the master • Internal database reengineering and the replacement of database, the National Geospatial Database (NGD), has several associated update systems to provide industry strength data sources with almost a million significant changes such as a management, and

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• Data positional accuracy improvement of mapping in rural Ireland, and across both parts of Ireland. Users expect to be areas to provide a consistent national framework which is fit able to obtain data from any of these geographic and political for purpose with today’s technologies such as imagery and GPS. areas and simply use it in an application. However, the geo- detic and mapping responsibilities for Britain and Ireland fall Developing the Framework through Collaboration to three separate organizations: the Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, and the Ordnance The use of geographic information is growing rapidly, in par- Survey (of Great Britain). In 2000 we agreed to a program to ticular, across government. As with The National Map, it is make it easier for customers who require geographic informa- natural therefore that several initiatives aimed at better data tion across these boundaries, in terms of access to information integration involve cross-government collaboration. Such ini- and technical consistency. So far we have established a joint tiatives are developing not only in Great Britain, but beyond website (Joint Ordnance Survey website, www.osmaps.org, our shores. The drivers are last accessed 30 June 2003) to help users navigate between • Demand for definitive information, current datasets. We are now working together on developing • Data that can be used with data from other government components of our respective georeferencing frameworks, such agencies “straight out of the box,” as the feature structure and the use of unique identifiers (TOIDs) • Minimizing the current levels of duplication and wasted (Murray et al., 2001). resources, and • Eliminating non-value adding data processing required European Geographic Information (e.g., matching and cleaning up data prior to use). Britain and Ireland form an active region of western Europe. Over time we can expect a much better and more cohe- In recent years the concept of developing some form of har- sive information infrastructure to develop which is not only monized European geospatial data infrastructure has been funded and used, but is also well-maintained and benefits debated. Over the past 18 months, activity has been stimu- from sustainable development. Current examples include lated by the European Commission (EC) by means of a Memo- better information in the coastal zone, land and property, randum of Understanding signed by Environment, EuroStat, cross-border regional developments, and, in time, European and Research Commissioners to support a European Spatial harmonization. Data Infrastructure (ESDI). The project is currently known as “INSPIRE.” The aim is to provide interoperable reference data Joined-Up Coastal Zone Information that can seamlessly support the thematic data collected and The report by Lord Chorley in 1988 regarding Geographic used for various European directives and applications such Information (DoE, 1988) identified several national objectives, as Environment, Agriculture, and Transport. one of which was the need to provide better joined-up infor- Further details will be found on the EC Joint Research mation in the coastal zone. In the mid-1990s the Ordnance Centre website (European Commission website, inspire.jrc.it/ Survey and the UK Hydrographic Office developed a trial home.html, last accessed 04 July 2003), and much currently map, but this did not fully meet the need of users and was depends on whether INSPIRE is accepted into the legislative pro- costly and therefore abandoned. In 1999–2000 the demand for gram in late 2003. INSPIRE has already been successful in trigger- joined-up information was voiced by several users who oper- ing the European mapping agencies body, EuroGeographics. ate in the coastal zone but who could not easily combine the (EuroGeographics website, www.eurogeographics.org, last hydrographic chart data and the national mapping. A project accessed 04 July 2003), to start work on a strategy to develop to integrate these two datasets and the data from the British the reference layers (known as EuroSpec), which will not only Geological Survey is currently coming to a conclusion. It is underpin an ESDI for the EC but will also support commercial not the intention to create a new map, but more simply to and other users. The integration with the Galileo GPS program ensure that the data “fit” seamlessly horizontally and verti- currently under development (Galileo website, http://europa. cally. This has included a short GPS campaign to ensure the eu.int/comm/dgs/energy_transport/galileo/applications/ integrity of a new transformation between the land vertical index_en.htm, last accessed 04 July 2003) and scheduled for datum (based on Newlyn but linked to ETRS89) and Chart operation in 2008 will also be important. Datum based on Mean Sea Level around the coast. This is currently being developed as part of this three-way collab- Conclusions oration (Whitfield and Pepper, 2003). Both the OS MasterMap/Digital National Framework and The Land and Property Information National Map are focused on providing a single underpinning Several organizations have a role in servicing land and prop- national framework for geography. This is a critical part of the erty needs in the United Kingdom in the absence of a formal national infrastructure as the Oxford Economic Research As- cadastre or anything of a similar nature. The chief players, the sociates report (OXERA, 1999) highlighted in Great Britain. land registries, have always based their information on Ord- The failure to create and maintain such an infrastructure will nance Survey mapping. Because we have all moved into the lead to fragmentation, duplication, and missed opportunities information systems age, many of the existing methods and as the knowledge economy develops. approaches have been carried forward but have been driven The two developments each recognize the importance by separate organizational drivers over the years. A collabora- of partnerships in developing the infrastructure. There are sev- tive project is currently attempting to try and consolidate and eral kinds of partnership, but each is equally important: con- improve the information managed by the six primary organi- tractually in maintaining the data, in collaboration in develop- zations involved in land and property information. These are ing a consistent layered framework, and as value added the Royal Mail, Valuation Office, HM Land Registry, Registers resellers. The Ordnance Survey has found that it is essential to of Scotland, the Improvement and Development Agency keep these roles and relationships separate to ensure clarity and (representing local authorities), and the Ordnance Survey. boundaries of responsibility are to be adhered to. Given fit-for-purpose framework data, in an easily acces- Britain and Ireland sible form, and with an achievable maintenance plan, third In the world of the global market it is not surprising that many parties (government and commercial) can build their own of these developments extend across adjacent nation bound- (thematic) datasets with confidence. aries. There has been a growth in operational rollout of services Just as in the transition from paper to digital, we (e.g., telecoms) across the United Kingdom, involving Northern should not expect users to relinquish their current systems

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just because something new and better is available. It will Association Conference ICC2003, 11–15 August 2003, Durban, take time for organizations to recognize the benefits, such as South Africa, unpaginated CD ROM (in publication). greater reliability in automated data linking, and migrate to Murray, K.J., C. Bray, and T. Steenson, 2001. Better connected—The the new environment. This requires consistent standards three Ordnance Surveys improve georeferencing links, Proceed- (de facto and de jure) and methods in georeferencing and in ings, Association of Geographic Information Conference 2001, developing robust information interoperability such as the 18–20 September 2001, London, United Kingdom, Section t2.7, unpaginated CD ROM. Digital National Framework. Murray, K.J., and R. Mahoney, 2003. Interoperability—Technical The Ordnance Survey and USGS operate different business models, which may impact on the freedom and pace of devel- idealism or business critical, Proceedings, FIG Working Week, 14–17 April, Paris, France, unpaginated CD ROM. opment in developing the new environment and achieving this in a sustainable way. Provided that we can involve cus- Ordnance Survey, 1938. Final Report of the Departmental Com- mittee on the Ordnance Survey (Davidson Report), His Majesty’s tomers in the development stages of these initiatives, we will Stationery Office, London, England, 39 p. 3 maps. all go a long way towards that goal. , 2002. Annual Report and Accounts 2001–2002, The What is clear from this analysis, as we have found in Stationery Office, London, United Kingdom (http://www. sharing knowledge across NMAs in Europe, is that there is ordnancesurvey.co.uk/about_us/annrpt/2001-2002/index.htm, strength in depth when the different mapping agencies of the last accessed 03 July 2003). world share knowledge and experience. We can and do learn OXERA, 1999. The EconomicCcontribution of Ordnance Survey GB, from each other and trust that this may long continue. Final Report, Oxford Economic Research Associates Ltd., Oxford, United Kingdom (http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/literatu/ References external/oxera99/contents.htm, last accessed 03 July 2003). Shiell, D., 2002. Underpinning the e-future in Great Britain—The role DoE, 1988. Handling Geographic Information: The Report of the of the National Mapping Agency, Proceedings, E-Future: Into the Committee of Enquiry Chaired by Lord Chorley, Department of Mainstream Conference, 25–30 November, Adelaide, Australia the Environment, Her Majesy’s Stationery Office, London, United (Institution of Surveyors Australia and the Australasian Urban Kingdom, 208 p. and Regional Information Systems Association), proceedings Gower, R.J., 2000. Proceedings of the OEEPE Workshop on National in publication (see http:/www.hartleymgt.com.au/efuture/ Mapping Agencies and the Internet, 08–10 March, Southampton, program/html, last accessed 03 July 2003, for the provisional United Kingdom. (OEEPE Official Publication No. 38, Bundesamt program). für Kartographie und Geodaesie, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, Whitfield, M., and John Pepper, 2003. Integrated Coastal Zone—Data 134 p., also available at www.eurosdr.org/publications/ Research Project, Proceedings, U.S. Hydro 2003 Conference, officipubl.html, last accessed 03 July 2003). 24–27 March, Biloxi, Mississippi (The Hydrographic Society of Lilley, R., 2003. Challenges and opportunities for Ordnance Survey America), (Proceedings at www.thsoa.org/us03papers/htm, last (GB) cartography, Proceedings, International Cartographic accessed 03 July 2003).

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