16 January 2001

Magic mapping conjures up a host of benefits for British life

Updated 1 January 2002

Ordnance Survey may be best known for its paper maps, but computer data is already the biggest part of its business - and it is an aspect which is growing fast. More and more businesses and public services are using computer-based geographical information systems (GIS), allowing the rapid integration and analysis of information from many sources, bringing maps to life for millions of people. RHIAN FRENCH finds out how.

Every year millions of people choose Ordnance Survey's paper maps to be their guide, trusting its knowledge and expertise to help decide where to go, how to get there, and what to see and do. But thanks to today's hi-tech digital map data, it's no longer just our leisure time that the national mapping agency is steering in the right direction.

Just as countless numbers of walkers wouldn't dream of using any other map to plan their route, so many businesses and public services are also turning to Britain's mapping authority for digital data. And it is this computer mapping, already the biggest part of Ordnance Survey's business, that is transforming everyday life and bringing mapping alive - from helping drivers to reach their destinations speedily and safely to monitoring noisy neighbourhoods and enabling water companies to track burst pipes.

The magic mapping that makes all this possible is created by storing Ordnance Survey digital map data alongside a wide range of other information, such as crime statistics and land use registers, in computerised GIS. Together these layers of information provide the customised mapping and data analysis that is benefiting everyday life.

"People instantly recognise our distinctive paper maps, but there's a lot more to our mapping than meets the eye," said Ordnance Survey's Director General, Vanessa Lawrence. "People might wonder how our mapping can help them prevent flood damage to their homes or how it helps the fire service to tackle hoax calls, so they're often surprised to learn that it underpins such a wide range of services. In fact a recent independent study calculated that around £100 billion of Britain's economic activity is now dependent upon our data."

Keep on moving

Maps have always played an important part in planning journeys but 21st century motorists can now rely on their car to tell them the way. Using computer-generated voices and on-screen map images, hi-tech in-car navigation systems not only guide motorists along a specific route but can also suggest detours to avoid roadworks, traffic jams or accidents.

And even if your vehicle isn't fitted with the latest navigation systems the chances are that you too may have benefited from digital map data whilst out and about on the road. Anyone driving through southern Hampshire can benefit from ROMANSE (ROad MANagement System for Europe), which uses a digital mapping system and road side signs to monitor traffic flows and provide up-to-the-minute local travel information. This allows travellers to plan not only their journey but also to change routes, perhaps to miss the rush hour tailbacks, which means traffic is spread more evenly across the region's roads.

Even the price of your motor or contents insurance can be calculated using digital mapping with many companies using GIS to work out risk and set premiums. Overlaying the mapping with crime statistics or environmental information means that they can work out whether a particular area has a high number of thefts or is particularly prone to flooding, setting the premiums to take account of this.

Being prepared

But GIS is not just about what has happened in the past, it can also reveal what is likely to happen in the future. In Wales it will help to give early flood warnings to residents in high risk areas, enabling them to prepare their homes and offices before rivers burst their banks. Whilst police forces use it to improve response times to incidents and make better use of their manpower.

By analysing and integrating crime patterns with computer mapping, Hampshire Police believe that they can significantly reduce the county's crime rate by targeting repeat offenders, who tend to operate in the same way and in the same areas time after time. Similarly, Kent's ambulance service is also using this mapping to pinpoint emergencies before they actually happen. By plotting where and when emergency calls are likely to be made, and tracking the patterns of previous life-threatening incidents, they can site their vehicles in dedicated standby points, saving vital minutes.

Increasing numbers of fire brigade command and control centres, and in some cases even the fire engines themselves, are also being equipped with computerised mapping, enabling crews to not only find the quickest route to an emergency but also locate fire hydrants, pinpoint hoax calls, carry out risk assessments and even in the case of the West Sussex Fire Brigade to tackle the aftermath of a freak tornado!

It's not just large organisations that benefit from GIS, however, and with access to a personal computer and a link to the Internet, it's possible to find out all sorts of information about a specific area. Digital mapping is a vital component of a growing list of innovative web services. Consumers of all kinds - shoppers, diners and filmgoers among them - are enjoying access to maps in their homes and offices. On-screen maps make it easy to pinpoint the nearest supermarket, curry house or cinema, and plan the best way to get there.

During the 2000 Mayoral and Assembly elections in London, a special web site gave many people a hands-on opportunity to discover for themselves just how useful GIS can be. In the run up to the election, computerised mapping allowed voters to pinpoint campaign news in their particular area. And, after the final vote had been cast, the site was updated to display the results and latest news about the new mayor and the 25 new London Assembly members.

Homing in on land information

Homebuyers know how lengthy the process can be but an electronic one-stop shop providing on-line land and property information is set to change all this. The National Land Information Service (NLIS) will lead to faster, smoother and more certain property conveyancing and underpinning this revolutionary new project is computer mapping so detailed that it even shows the shapes of individual buildings and the lines of garden fences and walls. A pilot project in Bristol confirmed the potential of the scheme, drastically cutting transaction times.

As well as speeding up property sales, buyers can also use GIS to check out what type of land their new property stands on. Databases are now available that use digital historic mapping to show different land uses at particular sites over time, helping to identify possible sources of past contamination - a crucial requirement of new environmental legislation.

But in spite of all this high-tech talk of GIS and digital data, this brave new world of computerised mapping can also, quite literally, be child's play.

Child's play

Many children are using computers to draw and design their journeys to school on Ordnance Survey digital maps, encouraging them not only to walk rather than travel by car, but also to find the safest route avoiding local danger spots such as dangerous traffic and lonely or badly lit roads. And young wildlife watchers using the Internet to take part in a BBC nature survey were able to record their latest sighting instantly, simply by clicking on the on-screen computerised map.

Although we may not realise it, computerised mapping is helping life in Britain to run more smoothly and effectively but this is just the start. The possibilities are endless and with the advent of new technologies such as interactive televisions and the new generation of mobile phones, people are beginning to be able to instantly access tailormade mapping and information - even when they're on the move.

Vanessa Lawrence explained: "While the positions of any features can be pinpointed accurately on our maps in computer systems using the National Grid or coordinates from the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS), we recognise the potential to do much more than is currently possible.

"That's why we're changing the map of Britain forever with a trailblazing initiative that will affect all walks of life. We've begun the countdown to a new generation of incredibly detailed mapping based on a common digital framework. From November 2001 new object-based mapping data, called OS MasterMap, started to become available - offering unprecedented uses for the era of e-commerce and mobile technology.

"This seamless information is taken from a base called the Digital National Framework (DNF). It offers definitive, consistent and maintained referencing of around 400 million man-made and natural features in Britain. And because we are giving each feature a unique code, other organisations will find it much easier to link their own information to ours.

"Full online supply options will come on stream during 2002, along with further enhancements to the data.

"The key aim is to make it easier for people to pick and mix the mapping they need, merge it with their own data, and link it to that of others. In short the DNF and OS MasterMap will offer every map user exactly what they want - the power to choose specific information and dispense with the rest."

---

Chief Press Officer - Scott Sinclair

Email: scott.sinclair@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2265

Senior Press Officer - Kate Kemp

Email: kate.kemp@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2977

Press Officer - Paula Good

Email: paula.good@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2635

Press Officer - Paul Beauchamp

Email: paul.beauchamp@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2568

Press Office Co-ordinator - Pauline Hand

Email: pauline.hand@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Phone: (+44) 023 8079 2251

Press Office fax: (+44) 023 8030 5295