[Openstreetmap] open geodata access and OS GB

[Roger Longhorn]

Amaury Jacquot wrote:

 >Date: Thu, 07 Apr 2005 15:00:52 +0200
 >From: Amaury Jacquot <sxpert at esitcom.org>
 >Subject: Re: [Openstreetmap] geodriving results
 >To: Andrew Birkett <andy at nobugs.org>
 >Cc: openstreetmap at vr.ucl.ac.uk
 >
 > There's an interesting discussion about Ordnance Survey copyright and
 > related issues, courtesy of the British Cartograph Society, at:
 >
 > http://www.cartography.org.uk/Pages/Membership/DesignG/Copyrit.html
 >
 > Note that the OS weren't involved in the article (despite the
 > question/answer format).  I think the Ordnance Survey side of the
 > discussion is extracted from published OS regulations.

that's interesting.
it seems the OS are the worst intellectual "property" pundits to date...

quote :
"Memory in some circumstances can be a copy"

guess the UK gov should make them 100% state funded and have them
distribute their data freely :D

Amaury
<ends>

Unfortunately, I doubt very much that you will see OS GB being returned to 
full state funding anytime soon - if ever. From the government's point of 
view, OS is one of the most successful practitioners of the grand "trading 
fund" experiment which started in 1999 (for OS) to get government agencies 
"off the books" from Treasury point of view.

OS are also influential members of the v.large pan-European mapping 
organisation EuroGeographics, which is the "trade association" for 
something like 40 European mapping and cadastral agencies (includes far 
more than just EU member states). They have had a commercial, 
geodata-sales-oriented approach for a number of years, formerly enacted by 
a sub-group (17 member mapping agencies) called MEGRIN (back when 
EuroGeographics itself was called CERCO).

 From the point of view of many of the EuroGeographic mapping agency 
members, OS is doing superb work and some of the most advanced in Europe - 
totally digital database, no more paper maps needed, new products can be 
created in 2-3 days (versus 2-3 months as previously), data at different 
scales and for different types of users can be sold on-line, even using 
"Click Use" licenses pre-approved by the Office for Public Sector 
Information (formerly known as HMSO!), 5000 daily updates directly into the 
fully object-oriented digital database - which is maintained using Open 
Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant metadata (GML ver 2.0 as of now), 
etc. OK, OS also has problems with its digital database, update frequency, 
evolving international standards, etc. - but then, so does everyone else in 
the industry.

 From the point of view of the "free geodata for all" community, this may 
all be irrelevant as it has noting to do with geodata access policy - only 
technology. But from the point of view of NMAs that are struggling to catch 
up to OS but are hampered by serious funding restrictions from their own 
national Treasury offices/ministries - they see the OS/Trading Fund 
approach as a god send!

If we want truly open geodata - perhaps made available under soon to be 
enacted exploitation of Public Sector Information EU Directive legislation 
(due to be implemented by 1 July 2005 in all EU member states), then the 
open geodata community needs to begin some *VERY* pro-active and *HIGHLY* 
convincing lobbying of the powers that be in Whitehall and Parliament - as 
well as at the European Commission and European Parliament. With the 
INSPIRE draft Directive setting out geodata policy for Europe, still 
awaiting its "first reading" at the European Parliament (probably on 20-21 
April), there is still much debate required on this potentially 
far-reaching Directive and (possibly) some time (still) to steer the final 
text in ways that defend "open geodata" principles more than it appears to 
today.

Kind regards

Roger Longhorn
ral at alum.mit.edu
(former) expert in GI Policy to European Commission
PhD student, City University, London (in GI policy)

Director, Info-Dynamics Research Associates Ltd
EC Projects Office
1A Potters Cross, Wootton
Bedfordshire MK43 9JG, U.K.
Computer voicemail & Fax +44 (0)870 134 6492
E-mail: ral at alum.mit.edu
Mobile +44 (0)7879 875288
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