[OSM-newbies] newbies Digest, Vol 37, Issue 32

[Jonathan Bennett]

On 24/03/2010 17:31, Phil Monger wrote:
> No, no they don't. 

Yes, they do.

Over half of Ordnance Survey's income comes from local authorities and
other government bodies who are forced to buy their mapping from OS.

They're also forced to contribute data back to OS without any
compensation. The idea that OS isn't a taxpayer funded organisation just
because OS receives no funding directly from central government is
clearly false. Local authorities are, in effect, subsidising OS and
providing it with guaranteed income.

Another thing your argument overlooks is that a huge amount of OS's data
was collected and its infrastructure created before it became a trading
fund. Even if it's "self-sustaining" now, it was built using taxpayers'
money over the course of two hundred years.



-- 
Jonathan (Jonobennett)