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OXERA (Oxford Ecomomic Research Associates Ltd) Final Report (public version)
7. Associated Tangible Benefits to OS Customers
The utilities market segment comprises the gas, electricity, water and sewerage, communications, and oil and pipeline sectors. This is the largest market sector for OS and, as such, it has a significant influence on product and service development at OS. For example, the utilities were largely responsible for pushing the move towards digitisation and were a primary influence on the Chorley Report.
The utilities' influence on OS's activities and development reflects the fact that the GI provided by OS is a central element of the day-to-day provision of the national basic services of water, electricity, gas and communications.
Those interviewed in this sector suggested that the main OS products used by the utilities (although these undoubtedly vary by sector) are:
- large-scale digital products;
- small-scale digital products;
- digital gazetteers;
- digital height products;
- Scale Raster;
- large-, medium- and small-scale paper (film) products;
- OSCAR;
- a range of client-specific services.
There is a service level agreement (SLA) between OS and the National Joint Utilities Group (NJUG) that streamlines the supply of data to many companies in the sector and covers copyright use.
The main applications of the products and services purchased are:
- asset and facilities management;
- customer billing;
- marketing;
- radio propagation;
- network analysis;
- risk analysis;
- optimum routing;
- vehicle tracking.
For the most part, OS mapping products are combined with in-house data and are used as the backdrop for this wide range of applications.
Box 7.1: Utility company experience with OS products and services
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There is a general recognition that the utility companies need up-to-date, large-scale, GI. For example, they require information on the location of new residential areas before they are built. Without this, the necessary connections would not be provided in an efficient and timely manner. Similarly, information on the location of assets, and an understanding of the surrounding environment, is a prerequisite for good network management, and, for many of the companies, is a requirement established by the sectoral regulator.
The provision of up-to-date digital GI enables the utility companies to improve the efficiency with which their services are provided. Such cost gains provide significant financial returns. One interviewee noted in particular that the electronic transfer of data between utilities was beginning to bring in significant cost savings. The increase in takeovers and mergers, the formation of multi-utility companies, and the growth in dual-fuel providers, and dual-communication service providers, also means that there is a need for consistent data across associated companies. This consistency is provided by the use of OS products and services.
The fact that GI is a necessary input into the running of a utility company, and hence into the provision of their essential services, does not mean that the information need necessarily be purchased from OS. However, those interviewed indicated that alternative sources of similar information were not available24.
The quality of OS data was mentioned by interviewees as a primary reason for opting for current OS products and services. If the required GI were not available from OS, the utility companies would survive using local information, 'trial and error', and existing paper products, even though these provide incomplete information. The long-term efficiency of the companies, and their ability to maintain and upgrade the networks, would, however, be called into question. As competition within the utilities grows, and companies move into new and unfamiliar parts of the country, the value of accurate GI is likely to grow.
The main conclusion reached is that the utilities sector is very dependent on up-to-date GI to produce and provide their products and services, and that OS is considered the best available source of the required information. The utilities market segment has therefore been placed into band A on the dependence scale. Table 7.1 provides an estimate of the OS-related value-added for the sector.
Table 7.1: Contribution of OS to the utilities
| GVA (£m) | 28,724 |
| OS dependency ranking | A |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 22,979 to 28,724 |
Note: The value-added for this market segment is determined by aggregating the value-added of the following ONS sectors-electricity production and distribution, gas distribution, and water supply. Source: ONS (1998), UK Input-Output Supply and Use Balances, 1992-96, Table 3, Demand and Products: the 'combined use' matrix, The Stationery Office.
A book on British Maps and Map-Makers, published in 1944, concluded:
The Ordnance Survey has become an integral part of our national life, for there is no public body, from rural district councils and sewerage commissions to the War Office, The Land Registry and the Parliamentary Boundary Commissions, which is not deeply in its debt. It will play a great part in England's future development.
This remains just as true today as it did over 50 years ago. Table 7.2 lists a selection of government departments that are the main users of OS products and services. Users can divided into two groups: policy-makers and operational agencies. One of the interviewees emphasised that, while OS products and services may be necessary for the operational agencies, policy-makers would generally survive in their absence.
Table 7.2: Government departments using OS products and services
| Policy-making | Operations |
| Department for the Environment, Transport and the Region (DEtr) | British Geological Survey |
| MAFF-policy users | Coal Authority |
| Ministry of Defence (MOD) | English Heritage |
| Scottish Office | English Nature |
| Welsh Office | Environment Agency |
| Forestry Commission | |
| Government Offices for the Regions | |
| Her Majesty's Land Registry (HMLR) | |
| Highways Agency | |
| Historic Scotland | |
| Home Office | |
| Intervention Board (MAFF) | |
| Maritime and Coastguard Agency | |
| MOD | |
| MAFF-operational | |
| ONS | |
| Planning Inspectorate | |
| Radiocommunications Executive | |
| Registers of Scotland | |
| Royal Mail | |
| Scottish Environmental Protection Agency | |
| Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency | |
| SOAEFD |
Source: OS.
Central government covers a broad range of activities and, as such, it is not surprising that it uses a wide variety of OS products and services. A particular value of OS products is that they are built to a standard specification and there is a high degree of certainty about the surveying accuracy26. The central government SLA (CGSLA) enables participating departments easy access to a bundle of OS products and covers issues of copyright. Quite separately, the NIMSA has also been agreed, with the DEtr acting on behalf of the whole of central government. This provides OS with a contribution from central government to ensure that it continues to produce mapping in the non-commercial areas in the national interest for the benefit of all users.
In order to identify the uses to which OS products are put, OXERA interviewed the DEtr and HMLR. There are, of course, many other agencies within the central government sector which use OS products and services to carry out operational tasks (e.g. the Environment Agency requires up-to-date GI for flood-drainage plans). The report does not cover the full range of uses, but the interviews did show some interesting contrasts. One significant user, the MOD, has been omitted and is treated separately in section 7.2.1.
Box 7.2: The DEtr's experience with OS products and services
The main products used by the DEtr are:
The DEtr also uses alternative sources of GI, including products provided by commercial map-makers. In addition, satellite imagery, aerial photography and local authority data is used directly by the Department. It can, and indeed, in some divisions, does, operate without OS products and services. The result is that the research underlying policy decisions can be of varying quality and consistency. |
Box 7.3: HMLR's experience with OS products and services
| The HMLR is under a statutory duty to use OS products and services. It has two SLAs with OS. The first, for surveying services, came into effect in October 1993. At the time, HMLR found that alternative suppliers could do pockets of surveying, but that none could provide a national service. The second SLA is for the acquisition of digital data. This came into effect in December 1996 and covers the acquisition of Land-Line, ADDRESS-POINT and copyright payments. HMLR is in the process of moving from paper to digital products. It currently uses the following OS products:
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One issue is the extent to which departments could, if necessary, do without OS products and services. This depends on the ability of users to make do with out-of-date information, to update the information themselves, and to use products from OS's competitors. As in the utilities sector, the costs to individual agencies of updating the information themselves is generally higher than the cost of purchasing new information from OS, although, in some cases, new local information may be directly available within departments as the basis for revision. If departments were to pool their information there could be economies of scale. However, it is difficult to see how another public organisation, or even group of organisations, could undertake OS's main activities at a lower cost.
The dependency rating will differ between the policy and operational parts of central government. In both cases, the rating can be determined by reference to both current practice and future developments.
- Policy-given the general feeling that policy divisions use OS products and services to inform decisions rather than directly in the delivery of services, and, as such, could continue to operate in the absence of current OS products and services, these parts of the central government section are assumed to be in the E band in the dependence ranking. This dependence may, however, increase in the future with the development of the National Land Use Database.
- Operations-given the general difficulty of replacing OS products and services or doing without them, it is assumed that the operational arm of central government is in band B in the dependence ranking.
In other sectors, OXERA's estimates of the extent to which national output is dependent on OS products and services are based on ONS figures. In 1996, the GVA of 'central government' was £29.3 billion. However, investigations into this market segment suggest that this value-added figure hides considerable variety across central government. The ONS central government sector is also different to that used by OS with central government trading bodies (e.g. HMLR) now classified as public corporations. A more appropriate base would be the value-added only by those departments listed in Table 7.2, excluding the MOD, which is dealt with separately in section 7.2.1. Proxies for this figure have been obtained from the annual reports for each of the departments and from a few other miscellaneous sources (see Appendix 1). In 1996/97, the total value-added for the 'policy organisations' was £963m, and £7,933m for the 'operations organisations'. This results in a total central government value of £8,896m.
Table 7.3 gives OXERA's proxy estimates for the OS-related GVA for each of the two components of central government. It should be emphasised, again, that this relates to tangible output-related value only, and does not reflect the additional social value which is generated by the use of OS information to design, develop and implement crucial national economic, social and welfare policies. Inevitably, an important part of the value of government use of OS data comes from these wider social values. The social value of OS products and services is considered in more detail in Section 9, but it is important to recognise that, here, we are at the limits of what can sensibly be valued. The exercise is, however, worth undertaking, even on the limited basis assumed here, as a means of ensuring some recognition of the vitally important role which OS's activities play in the business of government.
Table 7.3: Contribution of OS to central government
| Policy | Operations | Total | |
| GVA (£m) | 963 | 7,933 | 8,896 |
| Dependency rank | E | B | |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 0 to 192.6 | 4,759.8 to 6,346.4 | 4,759.8 to 6,539 |
Source: See Table A2.1.
7.2.1 The MOD and the armed forces
The origins of OS lie with military needs: quality maps of the coastline were essential to England's defences against Napoleon. However, other needs for maps were soon identified and, while OS continued to be run by a Major General on the active list until 197427 these uses came to dominate. The armed forces' need for GI is still as strong as ever, and new-weapon technologies based on GIS rival any of the advanced digital technologies identified in other areas. The forces' use of domestic GI is, of course, for domestic and defence purposes only, whereas, in engagement, they need GI about other parts of the world.
It would, in principle, be possible to use the technique set out in section 7.2 to provide a proxy for value-added in defence-the equivalent of MOD's value-added is the estimate of 'operating costs, excluding new equipment purchases', set out in Table A.2. However, OXERA has concluded that, whatever the dependency rating we could arrive at, the resulting figure-which would be very large-would not be meaningful, given the difficulty of putting a monetary value on defence.
MOD and the armed forces continue to use OS products and services in various day-to-day activities. The overall value of these uses is best addressed qualitatively as part of the wider societal benefits of OS's activities identified in Section 9.
There are currently 484 local authorities in Great Britain. The sector also includes police, fire and ambulance services, and the national parks. This is therefore a large and diffuse market. There is still some policy-making in local government, but, for the most part, local authorities are carrying out decisions made by central government, and so can be compared with the operational arms of central government rather than with the policy-makers.
A local government SLA (LGSLA) has been in place since 1993. It covers digital use of a wide range of OS products and copying royalties, but not publishing royalties. A total amount is paid to OS by all local government departments, and the cost is apportioned between the different sectors on the basis of population and the number of titles taken from OS.
Given the wide variety of different local government activities, it is difficult to identify all the facets of local government's dependence on OS products and services. Some published studies, outlined in the box, illustrate some of the uses.
Box 7.4: Some local authority uses of GI and OS data
| The Local Authority Associations' Geographic Information Advisory Group's 1994 'Go with the flow' toolkit aims to help local authority staff to 'understand their business in a simple and succinct way'. A key element of the study, and of the resulting 'toolkit', is an analysis of data flows within the business. It is clear from this study that OS products and services provide value to all the core activities undertaken by local authorities, and that this information is disseminated to a wide range of external entities. Another study assesses the suitability of GIS to the work of one council, Swansea28. In making the case for change, the study found that Evidence of the usefulness of OS maps to the local authority is provided by the fact that Swansea City Council owns some 24 sets of maps for the area at scales of 1:1 250 and 1:2 500. Many sets date back to the 1960s and most section staff need to go over to the Planning section to consult the most recent map issues29. Gill defined corporate planning as: the process of preparing, implementing and monitoring the Corporate Plan, which should consider every SBU (strategic business unit) within the organisation and contain a mission statement, corporate aims, service delivery framework and principal targets30. The author notes that, 'Information is as important a resource in local government as staff, revenue and capital, but has been undervalued for too long. 'The role of information, including GI, is changing as a result of the government's information society initiative for local government, to be implemented by the Improvement and Development Agency. |
The main uses of OS products and services in local government are in planning, land management, transport and distribution, marketing and research. They are also used in service-related departments (e.g. in the education divisions, OS products are used to chart journeys to school and school catchment areas).
Those interviewed emphasised that he believed that there were no satisfactory competitors to OS products and services. The wide range of products available from OS under the SLA is also valued, alongside the fact that all the necessary information can be obtained from a single supplier. Further, given the variety of information used within local government, and the range of departments using it, the fact that OS data is consistent between the different products is a valuable feature.
Each authority requires GI relating only to its own area, and alternative sources (including in-house information) could be used in place of OS products and services. Thus, while there is a clear current preference for OS products and services in local government, there is no wholesale dependence on them. Having said this, OS products and services purchased by local government are used throughout the business, and one interviewee emphasised that he could not imagine how a county council could cope without OS maps. For this reason, local government has been placed in band B in the dependency ranking.
Table 7.4 shows the GVA of local government which is assumed to be OS-dependent.
Table 7.4: Contribution of OS to the local government
| GVA (£m) | 46,742 |
| OS dependency ranking | B |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 28,045 to 37,394 |
Source: ONS (1998), The Blue Book, Table 1.8.1.
7.4 Architects, engineers, survey and construction
This segment includes architects, civil engineers, surveyors, construction and demolition companies. The main products purchased include:
- Superplan Data and plots;
- Land-Line;
- control information;
- Land-Form products;
- site surveys.
The interviewees in this sector noted the following activities as those that involved the use of GI:
- surveying;
- planning applications;
- valuations;
- boundary disputes;
- building regulations;
- defects inspections.
In particular, companies are required by local authorities to use OS 1:1 250 and 1:2 500 scale maps for planning applications and business regulations.
Most of the firms are small and medium-sized enterprises, with limited resources to invest in GI. Some of the construction firms, however, are large. While all these industries require GI, this is not always provided by OS products. This is particularly the case because, in many instances, the information required is limited to a small local area. It would therefore be conceivable that some companies could undertake small-scale surveys themselves, or could contract the job out. According to those interviewed, this is already happening. However, where companies operate in more than one area, as is often the case, gathering and updating GI in several localities could be a significant drain on resources.
In other cases, it would be possible to rely on out-of-date OS products-indeed, some of the smaller companies already operate on this basis. However, as has been seen, the use of OS products and services generally both improves the efficiency with which the work is undertaken, and facilitates new and innovative approaches. Therefore companies which do without OS data risk losing competitiveness.
One interviewee claimed that 90% of turnover was dependent on the use of OS products and services. Another, however, quoted 5% of turnover as an appropriate figure. This demonstrates the wide variety in usage and dependence in the sector. Given the many alternatives to OS products that could be used to undertake the activities listed above, the sector is placed in D for the dependency ranking. Table 7.5 shows the GVA of the architects, engineers, survey and construction which is assumed to be OS-dependent.
Table 7.5: Contribution of OS to architects, engineers, survey and construction
| GVA (£m) | 45,342 |
| OS dependency ranking | D |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 9,068 to 18,137 |
Note: The value-added for this market segment is determined by aggregating the value-added of the following ONS sectors-architectural etc. activities, and construction. Source: ONS (1998), UK Input-Output Supply and Use Balances, 1992-96, Table 3, Demand and Products: the 'combined use' matrix, The Stationery Office.
This market segment includes companies which develop, buy and sell real estate; those which develop and let property; and housing associations. In 1996 the consultation exercise on the 'National Interest in Mapping', undertaken jointly by OS and the Department of the Environment, found that 67% of those in the land agents sector used large-scale graphics products (Superplan), 50% used large-scale data (Land-Line), 83% used small-scale graphics (Pathfinder), 17% used small-scale data, and 50% used custom products.
A land agent interviewed noted that maps were essential for managing land and estates, as they form the basis of property record systems. The agent adds estate-specific features to OS products, charging clients for the annotation. OS products are, however, responsible for only a small proportion of the business, although they are seen as an essential raw material. The 1996 consultation exercise found that, of the six interviewees in the land agents sector:
- 60% used OS information for map production; and
- 100% used OS information for background mapping for their own information.
Maps form an integral part of the running of an estate agency, but do not, in themselves, generate significant revenues. A dependency rating of E is therefore applied.
Table 7.6 shows the GVA of the real estate sector which is assumed to be OS-dependent.
Table 7.6: Contribution of OS to real estate
| GVA (£m) | 70,693 |
| OS dependency ranking | E |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 0 to 14,138.6 |
Note: The value-added for this market segment is determined by aggregating the value-added of the following ONS sectors-estate agent activities, letting of dwellings, and owning and dealing in real estate. Source: ONS (1998), UK Input-Output Supply and Use Balances, 1992-96, Table 3, Demand and Products: the 'combined use' matrix, The Stationery Office.
7.6 Solicitors and environmental consultancy31
OS products and services are used by solicitors and environmental consultants for land and property transactions. The main product used is Superplan. Extracts of OS maps produced by HMLR, and OS maps of particular areas, are used by solicitors to identify both registered and unregistered land. OS maps are used in the conveyancing of both domestic and commercial land and property. Indeed, every sale and purchase transaction in registered land relies on OS information for successful completion.
The exchange of property is, however, only a small proportion of the total business undertaken by the legal profession, and it is not clear that OS maps are used regularly in other legal contexts. For this reason, a dependency ranking of E is used.
Table 7.7 shows the GVA of the solicitors and environmental consultancy which is assumed to be OS-dependent.
Table 7.7 Contribution of OS to the solicitors and environmental consultancy
| GVA (£m) | 70,693 |
| OS dependency ranking | E |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 0 to 14,138.6 |
Source: ONS (1998), UK Input-Output Supply and Use Balances, 1992-96, Table 3, Demand and Products: the 'combined use' matrix, The Stationery Office. The figure for the environmental consultancy sector is taken from The ENDS Report, December 1997.
Transport comprises companies involved in road, rail, air and sea transport, and the majority of products purchased by this sector are small scale. These products and services are used for network construction and route-planning purposes, and for impact-assessment exercises. The majority of companies in this sector are small (e.g. taxi firms, road-freight hauliers) and, hence, have limited resources to spend on GI. The rail and air markets are dominated by large companies.
Companies in this sector require consistent and high-quality GI; there would be significant cost repercussions if planning were disrupted by inaccurate GI. OS data is the main source of such information at the national level. Paper mapping products may be sufficient for most users, although it is clear that many would benefit from using one or more OSCAR products to manage their traffic flows. Examples of the productivity gains from such products are given in Table 2.1 above.
A 1998 conference paper demonstrated how GIS can be used in transport impact assessments32. The authors note that 'at BAA's UK airports, the geographic locations of enquirers are compared automatically with the geographic patterns and timings of flights.' The GI used for such an exercise includes 'background mapping, radar data, pollution sources, postal geography and Census', a proportion of which can be supplied by OS. The authors note that 'ADDRESS-POINT is being used to associate properties with different levels of noise, in order to manage the new noise insulation and vortex strike protection at Heathrow.' They conclude by stating that:
coupled with Ordnance Survey digital mapping, ADDRESS-POINT, postcode areas, road networks, pollution data, flight tracks, noise measurements and contours, and public transport service provision GIS provides a very powerful tool and is making a positive contribution to environmental management.
A dependency rating of C has been assumed for this sector on the grounds that, although OS products and services are used in a broad range of activities, it is likely that companies can, for the most part, also use competitor products or their own local information.
Table 7.8 shows the GVA of the transport sector which is assumed to be OS-dependent.
Table 7.8: Contribution of OS to the transport
| GVA (£m) | 35,377 |
| OS dependency ranking | C |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 14,151 to 21,226 |
Note: The value-added for this market segment is determined by aggregating the value-added of the following ONS sectors-railways, other land transport, water transport, air transport, and transport services. Source: ONS (1998), UK Input-Output Supply and Use Balances, 1992-96, Table 3, Demand and Products: the 'combined use' matrix, The Stationery Office.
7.8 Computer and related activities
This market mainly comprises the System Suppliers which provide OS customers with the hardware and software required to run digital products and services. There are currently 270 licensed System Suppliers. While other companies purchase OS data for their own internal business use (e.g. for marketing purposes), OS products and services are rarely purchased by the System Suppliers for their own use.
The total value-added of computing services in 1996 was £9.4 billion. The GIS market is, however, a small part of the overall computing sector. Within the GIS market, OS is only one of a number of data providers that have arrangements with System Suppliers to incorporate geospatial data products within their software. Nevertheless, System Suppliers know that customers often want the quality assurance that is associated with OS data.
Products and services are developed jointly by OS and System Suppliers. In this case, System Suppliers can then use the skills and software gained in OS-related products and services to develop similar packages for other GI providers, or even outside the GI realm. Thus, while the sector can be assumed to be not very dependent on OS products and services, it certainly reaps broader benefits from their existence. In the same way that OS digital products have no value without the associated software and hardware, GIS have no value without data of the required quality.
A dependency ranking of E has been applied, and Table 7.9 shows the GVA of the computer and related activities sector which is assumed to be OS-dependent.
Table 7.9: Contribution of OS to computer and related activities
| GVA (£m) | 9,361 |
| OS dependency ranking | E |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 0 to 1,872 |
Note: The value-added for this market segment is determined by using the value-added of the ONS computing services sector. Source: ONS (1998), UK Input-Output Supply and Use Balances, 1992-96, Table 3, Demand and Products: the 'combined use' matrix, The Stationery Office.
Operators in this sector use OS products and services for a variety of functions, including farm and rural estate management, and the identification of Sites of Special Scientific Interest. There may be an increase in the use of digital data in the sector, led by changes in the way in which MAFF administers Common Agricultural Policy subsidies.
The sector would currently appear to have little dependence on OS products and services, as evidenced by the low rate of take-up of these products. A dependency rank of E has therefore been applied to the sector. However, farming is becoming increasingly sophisticated, with farmers using the Internet to follow market changes and to obtain information about best farming practices. In due course, GI is likely to become fully integrated into these data flows.
Table 7.10 shows the GVA of farming and forestry which is assumed to be OS-dependent.
Table 7.10: Contribution of OS to farming and forestry
| GVA (£m) | 11,628 |
| OS dependency ranking | E |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 0 to 2,326 |
Note: The value-added for this market segment is determined by aggregating the value-added of the ONS agriculture and fishing sectors. Source: ONS (1998), UK Input-Output Supply and Use Balances, 1992-96, Table 3, Demand and Products: the 'combined use' matrix, The Stationery Office.
7.10 Mining, drilling and quarrying
This market comprises mineral extraction, cement, aggregates, china clay extraction, brick making, and oil and gas extraction. OS products and services are used for planning applications, impact analysis, asset management, and landfill. Most of these activities are, by definition, local in nature, and alternative products and services, including old OS products and services, are available. The GI for these activities is also only one of a number of required information inputs-geological information is an obvious addition. The sector is assumed to have a low dependence on OS products and services, and a rank of E is therefore applied to this sector.
Table 7.11 shows the GVA of the mining, drilling and quarrying sector which is assumed to be OS-dependent.
Table 7.11: Contribution of OS to mining, drilling and quarrying
| GVA (£m) | 19,447 |
| OS dependency ranking | E |
| OS-related GVA (£m) | 0 to 3,889 |
Note: The value-added for this market segment is determined by aggregating the value-added of the following ONS sectors-coal extraction, extraction (oil and gas), extraction (metal ores), and other mining and quarrying. Source: ONS (1998), UK Input-Output Supply and Use Balances, 1992-96, Table 3, Demand and Products: the 'combined use' matrix, The Stationery Office.
7.11 Total benefit of OS through its customers
Table 7.12 shows the estimated OS-related GVA of the market segments examined to be equal to £79-£136 billion in 1996. Even the top of this range may be an underestimate of the total economic contribution of OS because:
- many other sectors, not considered here, use OS products and services:
- in each sector considered, the estimate is based only on a small sample of information;
- the use of OS products and services in these organisations provides benefits beyond the production process (e.g. the use of a consistent GI dataset may improve corporate planning or organisational behaviour), and no monetary value has been attached to these additional effects.
Table 7.12: Range of OS-related GVA, 1996
| Sector | Dependency ranking |
GVA (£m) |
| Utilities | A | 22,979-28,724 |
| Central government | E for policy B for operations |
4,760-6,539 |
| Local government | B | 28,045-37,394 |
| Architects, engineers, construction and surveyors | D | 9,068-18,137 |
| Real estate | E | 0-14,139 |
| Solicitors and environmental consultancy | E | 0-1,580 |
| Transport | C | 14,151-21,226 |
| Computer and related activities | E | 0-1,872 |
| Farming and Fishing | E | 0-2,326 |
| Mining, drilling and quarrying | E | 0-3,889 |
| Total | 79,003-135,826 |
23 Mahon, P. (1998), 'Managing Data Information at North West Water', in the Proceedings of the AGI Conference at GIS.
24 Throughout this section competitor products are considered as alternative sources of GI in the absence of OS. This may, however, be misleading, given that many of these products are based on OS data. It is assumed that competitors, or customers themselves, are in a position to update the existing OS datasets.
25 Lynam, E. (1944), British Maps and Map-Makers, William Collins.
26 Some interviewees noted, however, that the degree of confidence in OS accuracy was reduced in some rural areas.
27 Owen, T. and Pilbeach, E. (1992), Ordnance Survey: Map Makers to Britain Since 1791, OS Southampton.
28 Bromley, R. and Coulson, M. (1989), 'Geographical Information Systems and the Work of a Local Authority: The Case of Swansea City Council', Department of Geography, University College of Swansea.
29 Bromley, R. and Coulson, M (1989), 'The Value of Corporate GIS to Local Authorities', Mapping Awareness, 3:5, November.
30 Gill, S. (1998), 'Application of Geographic Information Systems to Corporate Planning in Local Government', Proceedings of the AGI Conference at GIS.
31 This is the OS market segment 'legal and environmental consultancy'.
32 Wood, T. and Pool, G. (1998), 'Managing the Environmental Impact of Airports', Proceedings of the AGI Conference at GIS.