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By Luke, 20, May, 2013 8:00 am

This week from Monday through to Sunday you’ll find us at the Digital Shoreditch festival, an event that attracts hundreds of speakers from the most innovative and successful companies and organisations across creative, technical, start-up tech and digital spaces and beyond. During the week, we’ll be exhibiting, speaking and promoting our digital products and services amongst some of Tech City’s most talented digital and technical creative individuals.

The festival has a different theme each day, comprising of panel sessions, key note speeches and discussions – kicking off with today’s “What Tech City” theme. During the day, festival goers will collectively explore the many companies and organisations that make Tech City what it is, focusing on developing new ways to exploit the potential for growing global engagement and improving our digital economy and society.

Continue reading 'Digital Shoreditch festival 2013 – hear how we’re involved!'»

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By Melanie, 9, April, 2013 8:00 am

We’ve just published a GeoVation booklet which includes information on GeoVation Challenges and case studies on winning ideas. For those of our blog followers who aren’t aware, Ordnance Survey’s GeoVation runs innovation challenges, which aim to address problems, which may be satisfied in part through the use of geography.

GeoVation Challenges are open to entrepreneurs, developers, community groups, government and individuals.  They are focussed on finding innovative and useful ways of using geographical information, including open data and tools, to build new ventures that will generate social, economic and/ or environmental value.

The booklet has some interesting facts about GeoVation which has been running since October 2009.  In that time:

• 1448 participants have registered
• 509 ideas have been submitted
• 57 teams have participated in GeoVation Camps and
• 20 winners have been awarded a share of over £435, 000 in innovation funding to develop their ventures.

We’ve made the booklet available online, so you can find out more about how you can innovate with GeoVation, the GeoVation journey, the ideas we have funded so far and the people who make GeoVation happen.  We’ve also made the case studies available individually– see our case study map.

Download your copy of the GeoVation booklet and find out more!

Continue reading 'A GeoVation update!'»

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By Melanie, 13, September, 2012 8:00 am

If you are interested in transport and travel and have ideas about how they could be better, we’d love you to come to our next event. “Collaboration and User Innovation in Transport”  – will take place at the Royal Society of Arts, in London on 24 September 2012. Brought to you by the GeoVation team, the event is supported by Ordnance Survey, the Ideas in Transit project, Department for Transport, Technology Strategy Board and SBRI.

With rapid developments in social media technology, smartphone apps, open data, and volunteered geographic information, in a context of doing more with less and doing that sustainably, ‘Collaboration and User Innovation in Transport’ is looking for ideas and suggestions on making things better. It plans to consider:

• What are the barriers to collaboration and user innovation in transport and how can they be overcome.

• How can real users’ needs be identified and addressed?

• How can open data be used effectively?

• How can business, government, communities and academia collaborate to create real value in improving transport?

• Collaborative consumption, creation and resourcing.

• Creating shared value and business model innovation in transport.

Continue reading 'Improving our transport system…your ideas please!'»

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By Melanie, 24, May, 2012 8:00 am

An app which maps out your emotions; an educational tool which helps school children learn more about their local environment; and a device that reports a crime straight to your local police.

These are among the ten finalists who are now in line to win a share of £115,000 as part of Ordnance Survey’s GeoVation Challenge aiming to improve local neighbourhoods in Britain.

A special three-day GeoVation camp took place at Ordnance Survey on the weekend to select the final 10 finalists from a total of 17, and proved to be a huge success. Our staff provided support, alongside design students from the University Of Arts London College Of Communications.

Dr Chris Parker, a GeoVation facilitator, said: “What impressed me most was to see 17 strong ideas being developed collaboratively and openly with other teams, into prototyped ventures pitched competently to the judging panel in just two minutes! Each looked to address problems associated with transforming neighbourhoods in Britain in new ways using Ordnance Survey’s products and services. There was a huge level of engagement and a real buzz as all participants worked to develop their ideas”.

The GeoVation Challenge finalists are:

Community Animation Mapping Strengths and Assets  - Nick Gardham of RE:Generate with an idea from to unearth the latest skills, strengths and talents of local people and map these digitally using Ordnance Survey maps.

Charting the Coldspot- an idea by Keely Mills of Peterborough CIC to reinvigorate the empty and underutilised shops and properties, and build environmental assets within the Peterborough City Centre high street.

The Place Station – Steve Clare of Locality with an idea is to introduce land and building owners across the UK, to social entrepreneurs, with a view to improving and transforming their local area with their ideas.

Sustaination – food enterprise mapping & communication  – This idea posted by Ed Dowding is to network food enterprises to work more effectively together and promote themselves to their communities. The OS Open-Data platform helps citizens map food webs, highlighting opportunities for innovation and re-localisation.

Hate Crime Reporting App– from Matthew Green. An idea for a smartphone app designed to help individuals report instances of Hate Crime. Using OS Open-Data, individuals can locate hotspots on OS maps and submit reports of crime to local police and community organisations.

Schools in Transition:  an idea posted by Nicola Hilary of the Transition Network to help connect young people to their local place  by mapping the watershed or ecosystem in which the schools sits, and then overlaying those maps with networks of social and community resources. This watershed mapping Transition approach can be disseminated for use in any school.

Where next from Kay Steven of Age UK, Newcastle. This idea is to pilot the use of community maps to facilitate person-centred planning with vulnerable, older and isolated people as a way to enable them to engage and integrate into their local community.

Community Payback Visibility: Jason Davies of Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust with an idea in which members of the public will nominate locations for Community Payback work and track their progress using a smartphone App.

Residents’ Green Space Mapper: This idea from Paul Hodgson of Groundwork is to develop a new and innovative approach to mapping the green spaces within an urban environment.

Come To Your Senses  is a collaborative mapping project run by Laura Sorvala and Emily Wilkinson, whose background is in visual facilitation. The idea is to run an online prototype website to show how emotions generate a sense of place and well-being within a community.

The finalists will now be invited to Ordnance Survey on 20 June to take part in a ‘Dragons Den’ style GeoVation Showcase where they will pitch for a share of £115,000 to fund their idea.

The list of finalists will be available on the GeoVation website.

Many of the competition’s entrants are making use of free data, made available through Ordnance Survey to encourage commercial reuse and to promote transparency and accountability.

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By Rob, 1, May, 2012 8:00 am

Budding GeoVators only have 24 hours to submit their innovative ideas for our latest GeoVation Challenge – ‘How can we connect communities and visitors along the Wales Coast Path’.

The exciting challenge has seen a steady flow of ideas being submitted all aiming to better connect communities, businesses and visitors through the application of geography, mapping, innovation and expertise. However, it is not too late for some last minute ideas and a chance for creative thinkers, developers and entrepreneurs to win a share of a £125,000 funding prize.

We’ve even mapped out where the ideas are coming from on the GeoVation blog. Some interesting ideas which have already been submitted include:

Walkers alert companion

This idea looks at providing distressed visitors along the coastal path with instant support and assistance. It involves creating a smart phone App, with an associated website, to provide real-time solutions to people requiring assistance along the path, for example first aiders, first aid support from volunteer networks or help guiding people to the nearest medical support centre.

Wales Coastal Path Ultra-Endurance Race

This idea aims to create a new endurance challenge along the Wales Coast Path. The intention is to have the challenge regarded with the same respect as the Trans-Alpine, Tour de Geants, Marathon de Sables (MDS) etc. The race will attract an international audience, can be split into sections and can have ‘spin-off’ shorter distances to make it accessible to a wider audience. By having the race in sections like the Trans-Alpine and the MDS it will engage coastal communities and bring in external revenue.

Mobile Treasure Hunt Game with Augmented Reality

Another fun idea to attract new visitors to the coastal path is to develop a mobile application, linked to a central web interface, allowing partners to create challenges and learning games. The games would follow the format of Treasure hunts and orienteering exercises targeting young people.

So if you have an idea of how people who live and work along, or visit the Wales Coast Path can use digital technology to benefit from this ‘world first’ for Wales then please visit https://challenge.geovation.org.uk/

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By Gemma, 20, April, 2012 8:00 am

Our GeoVation neighbourhood challenge saw a host of people submitting ideas on how they could transform neighbourhoods in Great Britain. We were delighted at the quality and scope of the ideas entered using Ordnance Survey products or services in the solution. A short-list of ideas has now been chosen by the GeoVation judging panel and teams have been invited to develop their ideas at our GeoVation Camp, 18-20 May, at Ordnance Survey head office in Southampton. You can read all about the shortlisted ideas here.

Show and Grow

To use OS Street View and OpenStreetMap data in an online web mapping application which allows people in the local community (elderly, busy families, young couples) to volunteer garden space (by tagging the location of the space to the online map) for growing fruit and vegetables for the community.

Charting the Coldspot

An idea to reinvigorate empty and under-utilised shop and built environment assets within Peterborough City Centre Conservation area’s high street.

Continue reading '20 GeoVation ideas go through to next month’s GeoVation Camp'»

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By Melanie, 15, March, 2012 8:00 am

Ordnance Survey is launching it’s second GeoVation challenge of the year today – this time it’s focusing on the Welsh Coastal Path.

With a prize fund of £125,000 , the challenge is calling for creative thinkers, developers and entrepreneurs to submit their ideas on how to better connect communities, businesses and visitors through the application of geography, mapping, innovation and expertise.

The latest challenge is called “How can we connect communities and visitors along the Wales Coastal Path?”

Some areas the challenge hopes to tackle include:

• How can we stimulate local business growth on the back of genuine problems that need solving?
• How can more be done for local communities to support and use the path?
• How can we engage and empower children to use, take more interest in and become proud of the path?
• How can we provide accessible information to help people plan their walks based on their needs, abilities and expectation?
• How can we provide a joined-up public transport system across the Wales coast Path?

Continue reading 'GeoVation tackles a coastal challenge'»

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By Gemma, 8, March, 2012 8:00 am

We’re fast approaching the two-year anniversary of the release of OS OpenData, which gave more access to free, unrestricted Ordnance Survey mapping than ever before.

We’re giving you the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of open data, and the tools and techniques to use open datasets, through a series of free masterclasses. They’re following on from the success of the two previous open data masterclass series, run by our GeoVation initiative and supported by Horizon Digital Economy Research.

The masterclasses will combine theory and practical sessions and give you the chance to try free-to-use open datasets on data.gov.uk, including OS OpenData. You’ll learn a range of techniques, from data collection and processing, to data analysis and map visualisation. As well as OS OpenData, you’ll have time to use open datasets from government departments and public-sector organisations including higher education, healthcare, transport and environment.

We’re offering up to 30 places at each masterclass, running from 9.30 am until 5.00 pm each day. Just click on the session link you’re interested in to reserve a spot.

Continue reading 'Learn how to make the most of open data at our free masterclasses'»

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By Gemma, 16, February, 2012 8:00 am

Do you know your neighbours’ names? Take part in any community activities? Or even visit your local high street and shops? Did you check on any neighbours or help them out during the recent snow? A study carried out for us showed that a third of us don’t know our neighbours’ names and 90% of us don’t take part in voluntary activities to benefit our local community.

The study examined our thoughts on our neighbourhoods and looked at how we can work together to tackle issues affecting our community. It found that only 40% of us would check on our neighbours during severe weather, whilst the same number would get out and about to help clear roads and footpaths of snow.

But it’s not all bad news. While millions of us may feel a lack of connection with our communities, the study reveals it’s not through choice for many of us, with millions unsure of how to join in and help in their community. Nearly a third would be encouraged to help tackle community issues if it was incentivised by the local council, nearly 30% would do so if there was a source of local information which explained community issues and a quarter wished there was a community forum to enable them to discuss issues and pitch their own solutions.

We’re hoping that the latest GeoVation Challenge will help communities everywhere to address their unmet needs through the application of geographic data, skills and expertise. This year’s challenge, ‘How Can We Transform Neighbourhoods In Great Britain Together’ is calling all innovative thinkers, developers and entrepreneurs everywhere to submit their venture plans and pitch online for the chance to win a share of the £115,000 prize fund to implement their idea of how we might improve our community spirit.

Continue reading 'Could you use geography to transform Britain’s neighbourhoods?'»

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By Gemma, 26, January, 2012 8:00 am

GeoVation winner’s Mission:Explore announced their support for a new GeoVation Challenge and a brand new Ordnance Survey ‘Viewpoint’ reward, both aimed at supporting children, families and schools in using geography in innovative ways.

They were announced during a presentation at the BETT Show on Saturday 14 January by Alan Parkinson from Mission:Explore. The GeoVation challenge will ask children to identify a food related problem in their community, think of a solution and come up with a plan for executing it. The best plans that also make use of Ordnance Survey mapping can win a slice of funding to help turn them into a reality. Children in Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 can enter by doing a series of three GeoVation missions on Mission:Explore to win a GeoVation badge and then completing an entry form.

Continue reading 'Launching a GeoVation challenge on Mission:Explore'»