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By Gemma, 25, April, 2013 8:00 am

We’ll soon be launching the next iteration of our Linked Data Service at http://data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk. In preparation we have created a beta version (http://beta.data.ordnancesurvey.co.uk) which has been designed for you to have a play around, test and review against your current applications.

We launched Linked Data in April 2010 and have seen a continued growth of the use in government and research. This has allowed us to develop a deeper understanding of the use of Linked Data, which we have used to develop an improved service, it’s easy to use and access adhering to new standards making the data more open.

In summary, the improvements we have made are:

• Developed a data hub that provides access to all our Linked Data datasets, with integrated search to enable anyone to easily locate resources of interest.
• Embedded OS OpenSpace maps to show the geographic location chosen.
• Separate datasets, which will allow you to narrow down your searches. For example, if you are looking for postcode information, you can query just the Code-Point Open Linked dataset.
• Improved metadata for each dataset such as publication dates, licensing terms and coverage.
• SPARQL 1.1 compliant endpoints for all datasets, which provide more functionality for querying our Linked Data.
• Redesigned search API based on the OpenSearch specification and with support for geography based queries.
• Support for the Open Refine Reconciliation API, which will allow you to more easily link your data with ours.
• All new API documentation and interactive tools for all API’s, including integrated example resources and queries.

If you are using our current Linked Data service, we would really appreciate if you could take a look at the beta service and test against your current applications. If you have any feedback, please contact the Linked Data team by sending an email to linkeddatawebsite@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

If Linked Data is new to you and you want to find out more, data.gov.uk provides overviews, videos and examples of other government departments Linked datasets.

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By Gemma, 23, April, 2013 9:18 am

Routes are now easy to share on OS MapFinder

We’ve recently released OS MapFinder v1.3 in the App Store and there are a host of route sharing features now available on our popular outdoors app. Some of you told us that you’d like to be able to use OS MapFinder in conjunction with your subscription to OS getamap, our online route planning service, and you’ll be pleased to hear that we’ve done just that. You can now import and export GPX routes to and from OS MapFinder – so it works with OS getamap routes that you’ve already planned, as well as any third party apps and sites that create GPX files.

Not only that, but we’ve also added social integration features to our navigation app. This makes it easy for you to share routes with friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, email and more.

You’ve always been able to sync any maps you purchased between your iOS devices and we’ve listened to your feedback on being able to sync routes between your devices. Once you download version 1.3 of OS MapFinder, you’ll be able to do just that. Any devices linked to the same Apple ID will be able to sync routes and map purchases from now on.

To celebrate the new version we’ve also extended our price drop for many map purchases into Spring with up to 40% off 100km2 tiles at 1:25 000 scale.

Continue reading 'Are you sharing your OS MapFinder routes?'»

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By Gemma, 22, April, 2013 8:00 am

Image of the Prime Meridian at Greenwich produced courtesy of Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Prime_meridian.jpg

We love to read about people who enjoy walking and the great outdoors as much as us – and Graham and Hilda Heap certainly fit the bill. The duo have recently devised a 273-mile long distance footpath which follows the line of the Greenwich Merdian.

The Greenwich Merdian Trail is now documented in a series of four books following the trail from it’s start in Peacehaven, Sussex, along the line of Prime Meridian to Sand Le Mere on the Holderness coast.The couple, from East Sussex, spent six years putting the trail together, and researching and walking the route to create their guidebooks.

The Greenwich Meridian itself is popular with visitors who make their way to the Royal Observatory at Greenwich to stand astride the line which separates east from west. Of course, the line of the Meridian continues through Britain, as well as many other countries on it’s journey from pole to pole. Graham and Hilda’s project aimed to create a route which follows the line of the Prime Meridian as closely as possible while following public rights of way.

Continue reading 'Walk the line on the Greenwich Meridian Trail'»

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By Gemma, 18, April, 2013 8:00 am

Did you know there are 93,728 postbox locations stored in our data? Or that there are 27,341,262 residential addresses located in Great Britain? Check our infographic to see the 10 fascinating facts we’ve recently compiled.

The facts and figures have been extracted from a range of Ordnance Survey data products – including freely available OS OpenData such as the Meridian 2 road and rail networks – our addressing and location datasets, and OS MasterMap Topography Layer.

Continue reading '10 fascinating facts from Ordnance Survey'»

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By Gemma, 17, April, 2013 8:00 am

As we discovered on our first two walks earlier in the year, ‘Strollexes’ are for discerning folk. Folk who want a 1-2+  hour stroll via interesting land marks, with a little extra exercise, without the need; to tie 3 yards of bootlace; to hunt for a mobile, money and munchies in a 10 pocketed kagoule and to carry a rucksack full of spam sandwiches! 

Our 3rd ‘Strollex’ again finds us in Hythe, Kent, the beautiful and historic Cinque Port. Check it out, there’s much to offer. 

This ‘strollex’ is designed in recognition that Easterhas been and gone - Spring is blooming (honestly!) and that a gentle walk is needed to walk off all the after effects of the eggs we’ve eaten. It will take us about 1 ½ hrs (3 miles) and there are no hills to climb. (So only a touch of ‘ex’ this time!) 

We start where Stade Street meets the Promenade (Prince’s Parade) by The Hythe Bay Fish restaurant.  We park in the road and turn left onto the Prom and stride out taking in the bracing sea air. 

We walk some 5+ minutes then stop to read a history of the area then pass The Imperial Hotel on our left. We note the plaque dedicated to Don Thomson our only gold medal winner in the 1960 Olympics in Rome (how times and facilities have changed!!).  We continue past the first part of the golf course, turn left (watch for traffic) onto the path that cuts through the course.  We cross over the Royal Military Canal pausing to look at the views of the fauna and flora encompassed by its banks. 

Once over the bridge we turn right and walk along the footpath/cycle way until we meet the first track heading back to the sea. Take this path, which marks the end of the golf course, cross the road and continue down the Prom for some 5+ mins and then turn left down a track by the white shelter. Again we cross over the canal, turn right down the canal track past the school playground and reach the main road, (45 mins from the start). 

We turn right and pass the information about the Sea Brook Outfall, immediately turn right just in front of the canoe club, up the steps and we are back on the Prom road. On our left we can stop for a coffee at the Kiosk (or at the petrol station) before we retrace our steps back to our staring point (approx 1+ mile) either zig zagging or a straight dash along the Prom. 

Here we can have a refreshment stop at the Hythe Bay Fish Restaurant/The Stade Hotel before setting off home ready for a belated Easter egg.

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By Gemma, 8, April, 2013 8:00 am

Today’s guest post comes via Laura Canning at Pitchup.com 

Image courtesy of iStock

As a camper, maps have been part of my kit since my first camping trip, when my dad unfolded a map it looked like he’d had since his first camping trip all those centuries ago. The routes he pointed out we were going to walk looked quite long, and there didn’t appear to be a sweet shop marked anywhere despite long poring over the paper on my part, but it was a map and it was mine.

Opinions still differ on whether the map was handed down to me in a moving ‘now-I-pass-this-on-to-you-my-child’ ceremony, or whether I cried so much Dad had to give me the map to shut me up, but still. It was a map, it was mine, and Dad got his revenge by chuckling wildly at my efforts to fold it.

These days, a map will still always be on my packing list, but now my laptop comes along too to find campsites in England, Wales and beyond, check maps online and to find out what to see and do nearby. Dad disapproves, still clinging possessively to the handful of Sellotaped maps I allowed him to keep, but I can check online maps for any part of the country with a couple of clicks, zoom in to areas I’m interested in and know that everything on it is up to date.

Using Pitchup.com to find campsites brings up Ordnance Survey map views, available on all listings, where users can switch directly to Ordnance Survey view when zooming in to see all the usual OS features. There are top attractions, National Trust properties and Good Pub Guide pubs along the way too – the listing for Callow Top Holiday Park in Derbyshire, for example, has its Ordnance Survey map listing three local pubs and their distance from the park, walking routes from Ashburn and Thorpe and the National Trust properties The Old Manor and Winster Market House, all marked to see at a quick glance.

Continue reading 'Use Ordnance Survey maps with Pitchup.com'»

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By Gemma, 5, April, 2013 8:00 am

The Six Nations may have ended last month with victory for Wales, but the rugby season continues in earnest, as does the debate between rugby league and rugby union and which is best. While many rugby fans will recognise a picture of their local team’s stadium and be able to recite all the stats and facts and figures – would you recognise your local ground on a map?

Our team makes some 5,000 changes each day to the master map of Great Britain and thanks to the work of our 250 surveyors and an extensive aerial photography programme, significant changes are ‘on the map’ within six months of them appearing.

These changes would include rugby grounds, of course, and to many of our surveyors and cartographers, the birds-eye view would render them instantly recognisable. But what about you? We’ve got some OS MasterMap extracts below showing the rugby grounds of eight teams, both league and union – can you tell us which teams? Post your answers on the blog and we’ll let you know the answers later.

Continue reading 'Name that rugby ground on a map'»

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By Gemma, 2, April, 2013 8:00 am

We are excited to launch the latest product in the OS MasterMap family, Sites Layer.

OS MasterMap Sites Layer is a nationally maintained dataset that maps the detailed extent of important locations such as airports, schools, hospitals, ports, utility and infrastructure sites and more. The points of access into these sites from the nearest road network are also provided.

This initial release of OS MasterMap Sites Layer focuses on sites in the following themes: Air Transport (such as airports, heliports and airfields), Education (such as schools and university campuses), Medical Care (such as medical care centres, hospices and hospitals), Rail Transport (such as railway station, tram station, vehicular rail terminal), Road Transport (such as coach station, bus station, road user services), Water Transport (such as ports, vehicular and passenger ferry terminals), Utility and Industrial (such as oil terminal, chemical works, oil and gas distribution or storage).

Continue reading 'We’ve launched OS MasterMap Sites Layer'»