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Software for working with digital map products
One of the key steps in working with Ordnance Survey digital mapping products is planning how you will store, load and view the data on your computer or within your IT environment, so you can experience all the benefits of using detailed and accurate geographic information.
Depending on what you want to achieve, you may need some specialised software to help you manage and share the mapping data, known as a Geographic Information System (or GIS).
The following pages give an overview of the various providers of Geographic Information Systems and support, to help you with a range of different activities.
Simplicity and ease of use
If you are looking for a simple, convenient solution, then the following providers can offer a simple GIS service to help you get you started.
If you are a Parish or Town council, or small public sector organisation requiring access to maps and aerial photography, Parish Online can offer you help.
With a background in supplying complex software to customers who are non-IT specialists, Pear can supply GIS products for a range of organisations, including local councils and small public sector organisations.
Low cost solutions
If you are seeking a solution to minimise your costs, please consider the following applications:
Quantum GIS (Open source solution)
Quantum GIS (QGIS) is an open source (community developed) user friendly Geographic Information System (GIS) licensed under the GNU General Public License. QGIS helps you visualise, manage, edit, analyse data, and compose printable maps.
If your need is simply to embed Ordnance Survey mapping data into your website, then Ordnance Survey's Open Space product may be the answer.
Find out more about Open Space on the developer website.
Lutra Consulting provides consultancy and support services in the fields of hydraulic modelling and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) including training courses on PostGIS and Quantum GIS.
More advanced/technical requirements
If you have a good understanding of GIS and your organisation has more extensive requirements in terms of its use of digital mapping data, the following providers may be appropriate for your needs.
A leading digital map data company, specialising in global mapping for a range of industries. Europa also work specifically with public sector clients. and offer to remove the complexities of access to the PSMA data (and also OS OpenData products) by serving it to you through their hosted mapping service.
Forth Valley offer services that cover the entire GIS lifecycle, from hosted services and consultancy through to training and support. Their integrated services cover the entire GIS lifecycle and they offer supplier independence and the assurance that we will deploy the best technical solution, whether commercial or OpenSource to meet your needs.
MapMechanics provide innovative map-based analysis software and services including GIS, digital mapping, sales and marketing applications, and logistics planning solutions such as territory optimisation or routing and scheduling. They are great at driving increased efficiency and can enhance any business process that has a geographic component.
Large scale deployments
For larger and more complex deployments of Geographic Information Systems, the following providers may be worth considering for larger projects.
MapInfo® (owned by Pitney Bowes Software) offer a powerful Microsoft® Windows® based mapping and geographic analysis application, helping you visualise the relationships between data and geography. Learn more about what MapInfo can offer.
ArcGIS is a comprehensive system for designing and managing solutions through the application of Geographic Information, to support a greater understanding of your data, deep analysis and to support more informed business decisions. Learn more about ArcGIS here.
Snowflake offer data exchange solutions via open standards for geospatial customers. Their products (GO Loader and GO Publisher) enable geographic information specialists to easily load, publish, visualise and share geospatial data.
Cadcorp is a UK-based developer and supplier of world leading geographic information systems (GIS) and web mapping software. Their cost-effective solutions help organisations in the public and private sectors maximise investment in geographic information by making it easier to share spatial data between people and systems.
Managing Contractors
If you have a large number of 3rd Party contractors which you need to licence and manage, then you may want to engage with Emapsite and consider using their ContractorLink service. Emapsite are an Ordnance Survey partner who support the distribution and management of mapping data to end-users via web services.
Please also visit the PSMA licensing page for more on third-party contractor licensing.
Training
Managing and using a GIS can require learning new skills, in order to make the most of the detailed information available through accessing Ordnance Survey digital mapping products. You may want to consider the following training providers for your training needs:
Snowflake are based in Southampton and offer a range of courses including understanding INSPIRE, inter-operability and data formats such as GML.
More details about their training offerings can be found on the Snowflake website.
Note: If you are interested in providing GIS and digital mapping services relating to public sector customers, please see our partner programme pages.