The document argues that governments should adopt OpenStreetMap (OSM) instead of relying on proprietary mapping solutions, citing outdated contracts and legacy systems as common objections. It highlights that OSM can provide superior accuracy in certain areas and encourages public bodies to integrate OSM into their projects, especially for high-profile events. Suggestions include creating plugins for elections and using OSM for various mapping needs to enhance public engagement and service delivery.

1. How And Why
Governments Should Use
OpenStreetMap
Pete Lancaster
Warwickshire County Council

2. Why on earth doesn’t
every public website use
OpenStreetMap?

4. Reasons I’ve heard:
● Existing contracts
● ‘Exact’ data needs to be mapped on
top of ‘exact’ OS maps
● Legacy systems
● Better in-house knowledge of Google
Maps, Bing, etc
● OSGB to WGS84

5. Existing contracts
● Suppliers come and go
○ That’s why most contracts are fixed lengths
● How much is your contract really worth?
○ Is a £20,000 solution, with £10,000 ongoing support
really viable in 2013? Really? Really?
● Web and data analysis teams know their
stuff
○ Chances are - your web team or data analysis unit
are already using open alternatives, or are keen to

6. Existing contracts

7. Still a good reason?

8. ‘Exact’ data needs to be mapped on top of
‘exact’ OS maps
● How ‘exact’ is OpenStreetMap?
○ Truthfully, it varies
■ In Warwickshire, thanks to Mappa Mercia, it’s
very good (and beats Google Maps for accuracy)
■ In Birmingham, it’s also very good, also thanks to
Mappa Mercia
○ OpenStreetMap is as exact as the group updating it
were when they mapped it
■ Warwickshire CC staff have updated
OpenStreetMap (a Warwick group is currently
being pulled together)

9. ‘Exact’ data needs to be mapped on top of
‘exact’ OS maps

10. Still a good reason?

11. Legacy systems
● Existing map system too ingrained to ‘break
out’ of
○ I hereby challenge you to prove this
○ I also challenge you to show us how using
OpenStreetMap with OpenLayers won’t save you
time, effort, pain and money
● Old systems were probably good at the time
they were brought in
○ Their time has passed
○ Mapping moves on - just as the rest of the world
does

12. Legacy systems
Plan for the future - the systems you use today won’t be the ones you use
tomorrow.

13. Still a good reason?

14. Better in-house knowledge of
Google Maps, Bing, etc
● Knowledge is transferable
○ Take what you know in one system, and apply it to
another
● The principles are the same
○ I knew nothing about OpenLayers before I started
using it - and I’ve built four mapping systems using it
(to date)

15. Better in-house knowledge of
Google Maps, Bing, etc
*this took around three weeks of dedicated work to get it working, starting with zero knowledge and
including the time it took to get the data, port it from Symfony2 to WordPress, have meetings about
approaches, etc.

16. Still a good reason?
* Be More Dog campaign - O2 Mobile

17. OSGB to WGS84 (or whatever format)
● You’re kidding right?
○ Think ahead - use systems that don’t force you to
only display / generate data in one format
○ I can’t begin to list all of the ways to convert your
data, but:
■ OpenLayers has conversions built in
■ PHP libraries exist to make the task easier for
batch jobs of large datasets
■ Or just use a flexible recording and editing
system that can export to different standards
● This, frankly, is just the worst excuse

18. Still a good reason?

19. So let me put it another
way.

20. There is no good reason
that public sites don’t use
OpenStreetMap today.

21. So do it.

22. Now, how can
Governments use
OpenStreetMap?
(if you’re, y’know, stuck for ideas…)

23. Roll a WordPress plugin for a high
profile event, like an election

24. Roll a WordPress plugin for a high
profile event, like an election
● Built in pieces, as part of other projects, over
the course of a year
● OpenLayers and OSM were only part of it
● RaphaelJS
● Google Fusion Tables
● End product was produced completely inhouse

25. Roll a WordPress plugin for a high
profile event, like an election
● Using OpenStreetMap will go down very well
○ BBC praised on the coverage during the day
○ Positive feedback received from residents before,
during and after the election
● OpenLayers and Raphael examples are in abundance
and will suit your project perfectly
● Google Fusion Tables can open up your data
immediately

26. Roll a WordPress plugin for a high
profile event, like an election
●
Roughly 40% of
traffic for a week
(139,905 views)
●
2nd largest peak
event for the site
(snow disruption
came first)
●
Used as main
visualisation tool
within count centres
●
Worked with OSM
administrators to
ensure they were
aware of possible
traffic spikes

27. Switch out your most popular maps
for OpenStreetMap versions
Country Parks
Libraries

28. Switch out your most popular maps
for OpenStreetMap versions

29. Switch out your most popular maps
for OpenStreetMap versions
● People love the clarity
○ It’s often surprising to look at the reaction of people
using a non Google or Microsoft map - they like what
they see
○ The extra information on the base map (such as bus
stops, car parks, etc) also goes down well
● Plus, you could just ‘roll your own’

30. Or you could just...
● Use an OpenStreetMap base as a starting
point for a transport mapping project
● Map your locality’s parish / town councils
and their coverage
● Create a tool to show end users how funding
is apportioned between areas
● Give opened up MP expenses data real
meaning

31. The world is your oyster.

32. Thanks for watching.
Hit me up on Twitter:
@peteweb
Contact the E Services Team via:
webmaster@warwickshire.gov.uk
Have a look at some samples in action:
http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/elections
http://countryparks.warwickshire.gov.uk

33. Images from / copyright of:
●
Slide 3:
http://www.scenicreflections.com/download/280359/Thinking_Cat_Wallpaper/
●
Slide 7:
http://cheezburger.com/239193856
●
Slide 10:
http://cheezburger.com & http://petedpeswebthings.com
●
Slide 13:
http://maverickphilosopher.typepad.com/maverick_philosopher/2013/04/cat-blogging-friday-skeptical-cat.html
●
Slide 16:
http://www.collegehumor.com/embed/6901149/o2-commercial-cat-inspired-to-be-more-dog & http://www.o2.co.uk
●
Slide 18:
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/grumpy-cat/photos
●
Slide 21:
https://twitter.com/MrT
●
Slide 32:
http://petedpeswebthings.com
●
Slides 6, 9, 12, 15, 23, 27, 28:
http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk, http://openstreetmap.org, http://geofs.warwickshire.gov.uk