Ordnance Survey and the Third Sector – your questions answered

Who qualifies for access to OS mapping under a contractor licence?

The basic principles are that (i) a third sector body must be a genuine contractor that has been contracted to work on behalf of a local authority (LA) or government department that is an existing Ordnance Survey customer,(ii) the Ordnance Survey mapping products must be genuinely required to assist the contractor in completing the work it has been contracted to carry out by the LA / government department, and (iii) the contractor and the LA / government department must enter into a “Contractor Licence”, the form of which is provided to all Ordnance Survey LA / government customers in their licence agreement from Ordnance Survey. The LA / government body that has engaged the contractor will be able to assist in determining whether these criteria can be met.

Mapping is only provided to third sector organisations in their capacity as contractors to LA / government bodies to help them deliver services they have been engaged to deliver. Mapping is not provided for charitable fund-raising purposes.

What does/doesn’t the licence allow the third-sector organisation to do?

A contractor is subject to (i) the limitations of their engagement from the LA / government body and (ii) the limitations of the LA / government body’s own licensed use from Ordnance Survey, which is reflected in the Contractor Licence itself. Please refer to the contractor licence (MSA Schedule 7 and PGA Schedule 5) for the terms and conditions. An organisation will be required to sign the contractor licence prior to receipt of any mapping and/or data from an LA or central government department.

Does this cover provision of mapping from Pan-government Agreement (PGA) and Mapping Services Agreement (MSA) participants?

Yes, both.

How long can the third-sector organisation keep the data for?

For the length of the ‘project’ or ‘contract’ that the third sector organisation has been contracted to deliver (provided of course that the mapping is genuinely required to assist the third sector organisation in delivering its services throughout the project or contract). NOTE: The MSA and the PGA both expire on 31 March 2009. Continued use of mapping and /or data after these dates will be subject to re-licensing of the relevant products under any future agreements or standard licence terms.

How can the third-sector organisation obtain the data?

The Authority Liaison Officer (ALO) will contact you directly to arrange completion of the contractor licence and subsequent supply of mapping and/or data. NOTE: The ALO’s role is to manage the mapping and contracts for their authority or government department.

How long will it take to obtain the data?

Please discuss this with the relevant ALO.

Can the third-sector organisation keep an electronic copy of the mapping for reference or archive purposes?

The contractor licence grants limited rights to retain one digital archive copy as well as one paper archive copy as relevant and necessary to document the tender and/or the work done. Detailed terms apply regarding how the data may be stored and for what purposes it may be used, and you should refer to the terms themselves for the full details.Please note the archive rights do not permit retention of the data for your on-going day to day use; if such use is required the third sector organisation should enter into an agreement permitting on-going standard licensed use.

Whose responsibility is it to make the final decision about providing the data?

The ALO.

Does the third-sector organisation need a GIS to view digital data?

This will be dependent on the type of data used and what you want to do with the data. Please speak to the ALO for further advice.

What is a GIS?

A GIS (geographical information system)is a system for capturing, storing, analysing and managing data and associated attributes that are spatially referenced to the Earth. In the strictest sense, it is an information system capable of integrating, storing, editing, analysing, sharing, and displaying geographically referenced information. In a more generic sense, GIS is a tool that allows users to create interactive queries (user-created searches), analyse the spatial information, edit data and maps, and present the results of all these operations.

Who provides technical support?

The ALO at the LA/government department that has engaged you as a contractor and provided you with the mapping for the purpose of your engagement.

Who is the third-sector organisation responsible to (in respect of the data/licence)?

In the first instance, the relevant ALO, but ultimately whilst you hold or use Ordnance Survey data, you are responsible to Ordnance Survey in respect of such holdings and usage.

Can the third-sector organisation obtain paper mapping instead of digital data?

Yes you can, so please discuss your needs with the ALO.

Where can the third-sector organisation get a GIS?

Refer to link on the Ordnance Survey website. It is important to remember that any GIS you may purchase will have to be able to work with the data being provided to you. You must discuss this with the ALO with whom you are entering contractor arrangements before purchasing a GIS, so that you purchase a system that is compatible with theirs.

How will the mapping be supplied to the third-sector organisation?

Please confirm this with the ALO.

How current is the mapping?

Please confirm this with the ALO.

What format is the data in?

Please confirm this with the ALO.

What acknowledgment should the third-sector organisation use when reproducing mapping?

The LA/government organisation’s licence from Ordnance Survey only permits reproduction of mapping data to third parties for fairly limited activities in limited circumstances. Where a contractor is doing such permitted activities for a LA/government organisation, appropriate copyright and trademark acknowledgments must always be included in any reproduced mapping data. The LA/government organisation’s licence number from Ordnance Survey should also always be referred to. The LA/government organisation will provide the contractor with the appropriate licence number and acknowledgment wording wherever these are required. In any case, you should contact the ALO and refer to the terms of the Contractor licence.

For more information on third-sector organisations and their role working for statutory bodies visit: http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=7640567