The 21st Century
Ordnance Survey
Ed Parsons
Chief Technology Officer

Where is this ?
A - Sydney
B - San Francisco
C - Paris
D - Manchester

Who is Ordnance Survey ?

Great Britain's national mapping
agency

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Information, not just a map
osgb10000005575721

99.6%
Agency Performance Monitor
99.6 % of significant real-world features are represented
in the database within six months of completion

Populating the database
Aerial Survey
1 billion features
GPS Field Capture
“As built” CAD drawings

Exploiting the database
Printed maps
Digital Data
Web Services
Partners

Delivered by partners

Ordnance Survey key facts..
• Ordnance Survey is solely
funded through the licensing
of information products and
services
• 2004-5 Profit of £ 9.2m on a
turnover of £114.7m
• Nearly 60% of revenue is
now from the private sector
• Paid first dividend £0.8m to
UK Government since
becoming a trading fund

• Uses cutting-edge surveying techniques to update and
enhance database
• Developing one of the worlds largest spatial databases
• Continually introducing new ways to deliver GI to meet
market demand
• Active participant in global GI community initiatives
• Worldwide reputation for championing innovation and
technology

Where is this ?
A - Sydney
B - San Francisco
C - Paris
D - Manchester

Maintaining the
National
Geospatial
database
21

GPS Antenna
Centimetre accuracy Antenna
Tablet PC
RTK GPS Customised Field editing software
GPS Receiver and Wireless
Data modem

OSNET - RTK network
Church Lawford Met Office Station

Pilot’s HUD
Links to GPS & Inertial Measurement Unit
Flight Data Storage
3 x 300 GB RAID Disk packs
DMC Sensor
Equivalent 106 Megapixel 4 CCD Camera

Where is this ?
A - Sydney
B - San Francisco
C - Paris
D - Manchester

When GI met
Web 2.0..

Mash-ups..

Web 2.0..
• Software as service
• The wisdom of crowds
• Data is the Intel inside
• Perpetual beta
• Lightweight programming
• Cross device applications
• Engaging user interface
Tim O’Reilly

Google Earth - Web 2.0 ?
✔
Software as service
✔
The wisdom of crowds
✔
Data is the Intel inside
✗
Perpetual beta
Lightweight programming
✔
✗
Cross device applications
Engaging user interface ✔

A - Sydney
B - San Francisco
Where is this ?
C - Paris
D - Manchester

Sense of place
Sydney
San Francisco
Manchester
Paris

Community generated data

Lessons from Web 2.0
• Simple services
• Data included
• Exploit the “people inside” the application
• Beyond traditional geospatial data
• Innovation from the edge
• THE CUSTOMER IS NOW IN CONTROL !!

What can we do...
Hide or
adopt ?

What can we do...

This is not your grandfathers industry anymore !

Thank you..