[OSM-talk] Ordnance Survey tries to reinforce its stranglehold over "derived" geographic data in the UK

[David Earl]

On 20/11/2008 12:58, Donald Allwright wrote:
> 
>  >From today's Guardian:
>  >
>  >http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/nov/20/ordnance-survey-google-maps
>  >
>  >(not reference to OpenStreetMap towards the end).
>  >
>  >and the letter from OS which provoked it:
>  >
>  >http://www.freeourdata.org.uk/docs/use-of-google-maps-for-display-and-promotion.pdf
>  >
>  >David
> 
> This move is quite concerning, but underlines the need for OpenStreetMap 
> to exist in the first place. 

Indeed, my reaction precisely.

> I wonder if we should respond with some 
> sort of marketing campaign, aimed at local authorities and other public 
> institutions, to encourage them to use OpenStreetMap as the basis for 
> their future mapping needs. In fact we should maybe even offer to 
> complete surveys in a particular area of any types of data that are 
> incomplete but which are important for the public good. One that 
> particularly interests me at the moment is public rights of way. 


I had some contact with the RoW officer at Cambridgeshire County Council 
recently (he was pointing out that we had a footway down as a cycleway, 
though it still is because I didn't think I could use his info based as 
it was on an OS base map!)

I tentatively arranged a lunch date with him and one of the GIS people 
at the County, but never followed it up. If I do that now, do you want 
to come along, Donald?

David