I would try to secure a face-to-face meeting with your council's GIS team, and separately with any teams that are custodians of other data you're interested in. Ask to talk generally about OpenStreetMap and raise this in the meeting.<div>
<br></div><div>I've got a reasonable relationship now with a few people in Southwark Council and while they tend to be pretty busy I have occasionally got some useful data releases from them. It's a lot easier when you have a good relationship and they understand where you're coming from. I'm pretty confident that they'll use the PSMA clause once it comes into force.</div>
<div><br></div><div>It also helps to mention how OSM could help them... don't oversell it (they already pay a license for a superior mapping product that they're not going to drop) but point to examples like James at Surrey Heath; the CycleStreets service for councils; the OS Locator fixup helped by ITO's and Rob Scott's tools; work I'm doing with the GLA and councils to map food growing; etc. Let them find applications that might be useful - in my experience councils can take months or even years to do that but it's better than trying to tell them what they could/should do with OSM.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Finally, I wouldn't start a petition until I'd tried that initial approach, and I'd use it first to try and demonstrate local demand without antagonism (so get fellow OSM-ers in the council area, businesses, etc.)</div>
<div><br></div><div>If you wanted to do a petition, go to the local media, etc. you'd be looking for a corporate decision higher up the food chain which could take a while and put you in a bad position with the people who actually hold the data.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Best wishes,</div><div>Tom</div><div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On 23 March 2011 19:25, TimSC <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mapping@sheerman-chase.org.uk">mapping@sheerman-chase.org.uk</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#ffffff">
<div style="font-family:-moz-fixed;font-size:12px" lang="x-western">Hi
all,
<br>
<br>
Here is part of an email I sent to a few councils regarding rights of
way data (footpaths, bridleways, etc):
<br>
<blockquote type="cite" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"><br>
I have a big and fairly complicated request regarding the definitive
map. I am interested in making data more accessible to the public (as
encouraged by central government [1]). It would be great if the rights
of way data could be released without restriction, specifically the
definite map. As you probably know, the rights of way data is derived
from Ordnance Survey products which until now has prevented this data
being released without restriction because of copyright. However OS
will soon introduce the Public Sector Mapping Agreement which defines
how government bodies can use OS products [2]. This includes a new
mechanism for public bodies to request datasets that have been derived
from OS products to be release either licensed as "OS OpenData" or
"Free to Use" (section 2.5 of the license [3]).
<br>
[1] <a href="http://data.gov.uk/" target="_blank">http://data.gov.uk/</a>
<br>
[2] <a href="http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/business/sectors/government/psma/" target="_blank">http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/business/sectors/government/psma/</a>
<br>
[3] <a href="http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/business/sectors/government/psma/docs/psma-member-licence.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/business/sectors/government/psma/docs/psma-member-licence.pdf</a>
</blockquote>
<br>
Kent County Council wrote back:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite" style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">Dear Mr
Sheerman-Chase
<br>
Thank you for your email.
<br>
I will forward your suggestions and comments to the Head of the Service
<br>
and Definitive Map Team.
<br>
Kind regards
<br>
Countryside Access Service
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Does anyone have any ideas on how to actually get the councils to apply
to OS to exempt their data and release it? Currently, I get the
impression that they don't rate data openness as a high priority - they
just nod and smile until I go away. It would be good to get this data
for quality assurance or even ... dun dun dunnnnn... importing. Could
we start a petition? Or use any contacts the community has to make this
happen? Any other data sets worth liberating?
<br>
<br>
Once we have set a precedent, it should be easier to get other councils
to comply, because of the way the OS exemption process works.
<br>
<br>
Thoughts?
<br>
<br>
Regards, TimSC
<br>
<br>
</div>
</div>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><a href="http://tom.acrewoods.net">http://tom.acrewoods.net</a> <a href="http://twitter.com/tom_chance">http://twitter.com/tom_chance</a><br>
</div>