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

[Andy Robinson (blackadder-lists)]

Nick.Whitelegg at solent.ac.uk wrote:
>Sent: 20 November 2008 5:23 PM
>To: Andy Robinson (blackadder-lists)
>Cc: talk at openstreetmap.org
>Subject: Re: [OSM-talk] Ordnance Survey tries to reinforce its
>strangleholdover "derived" geographic data in the UK
>
>>The problem here is who says it's a public right of way. If you ask your
>>local authority they will bring out there plans which give the details
>and
>>reference numbers but these of course exist on OS mapping. Not easy to be
>>definitive.
>
>I think this has come up before but: does this matter?
>
>Is it not true that whilst the underlying OS mapping is copyright, the
>layer on top, the council's definitive map, is derived from a council
>database - not an OS map -  and thus is a separate layer unencumbered by
>OS copyright?
>
>Again not 100% sure, but I'd presume that path *status* is  OK taken from
>the definitive map, as the council is the source of that information, not
>the OS.

I'd be inclined to agree with you in respect to the status and even perhaps
any reference number. It's just the location that's probably derived from OS
mapping, even if in text terms it might be described as following the
boundary of a particular persons land the local authority in my experience
store the information visually on OS mapping. Even legal documents which
refer to land parcels will general have an OS map attached to depict.

As David says, what is on the ground is the safe bet.

Cheers

Andy