News release

Adanac Drive
SOUTHAMPTON
United Kingdom, SO16 0AS
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/media/

26 June 2009

Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, visits Ordnance Survey

Mervyn King and Vanessa Lawrence

Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, and Ordnance Survey Director General and Chief Executive Vanessa Lawrence CB.

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The Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, visited Ordnance Survey’s head office in Southampton on Thursday 18 June to find out, first hand, about the new Ordnance Survey business strategy and the vital role geographic information plays in today’s world.

During the visit Chief Executive and Director General Vanessa Lawrence CB discussed the importance of Ordnance Survey’s work to the nation and showed Mr King how Ordnance Survey data is relied on by business, government and individuals.

As part of the visit Mr King was given an overview of the new Ordnance Survey business strategy and an insight into the future direction and innovative work of Ordnance Survey.

Mr King was particularly impressed with the many uses being made of geographical information to underpin decision-making in Great Britain and the contribution that Geographic Information (GI) Systems make to the mapping of national, regional and local economies.

While touring the head office Mr King was able to see the range of products and technologies on offer and he was shown many real-worldexamples of how GI is used in business and communities. He received demonstrations on Ordnance Surveys enhanced OS OpenSpace^® API and a look at OS MasterMap ^®. As part of the OS MasterMap demonstration Mr King was shown how the data has been used recently in the insurance sector to detect fraud and by local authorities to improve waste management efficiency. Mr King was even shown some aerial imagery of his beloved Worcester County Cricket Club and was impressed that the grounds new pavilion, opened in May 2009, had already been captured on OS MasterMap.

Mr King ended his visit with a demonstration from one of Ordnance Survey’s 300 surveyors. He was shown first hand how Ordnance Survey captures information and maintains the master map of Great Britain with on average 5,000 changes each day being made to the mastermap, reflecting the real world change that is being made on the ground.

Head of Corporate Communications - Rob Andrews: Email: rob.andrews@ordnancesurvey.co.uk; Phone: (+44) 023 8005 5563
Senior Communications & PR Officer - Paul Beauchamp: Email: paul.beauchamp@ordnancesurvey.co.uk; Phone: (+44) 023 8005 5564

Press Office fax: (+44) 023 8005 6156