OS graduate wins award for colour blind friendly mapping
Hosted by the Royal Geographical Society, on 11 November 2020 the second Geography in Government (GiG) awards took place. Here, our outstanding graduate Jessica Baker details the work that won her the Contribution to the Profession award…
The GiG awards aim to celebrate and recognise the work of members of the geography profession across the civil, crown, and public sector. In January 2020 I submitted my work on colour blind accessible mapping for the Contribution to the Profession category and I was delighted to be shortlisted and go on to win.
Three months of the OS Data Hub
Since we released the OS Data Hub in July, as part of the new Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA), we’ve been tracking use and eagerly watching to see how our customers, old and new, will use the platform and APIs.
Three months on and we’re delighted with what we’ve seen. After crunching the numbers of registered users, we’ve identified of the 2,355 users who have registered for the OS Data Hub, 1,845 are new to OS. The majority (76%) of users have registered for the OS OpenData Plan, and across both that and the Premium Plan, customers have carried out over 40 million transactions, with a 100% month-on-month increase in transactions.
Data as of 1 October.
Using OS data to accurately identify environmental risk to a property
Balkerne enables property owners and insurers to prevent losses from manmade and natural events through predictive, actionable, and location-based intelligence. As co-founder, Harish Pesala is using OS data to develop products that help insurers, brokers, and property owners to act before things go wrong. How? Harish tells us more…
Seeing images in the media of businesses and families severely affected by storms in the UK, we asked ourselves: “Why doesn’t the right information get to the right people at the right time to prevent this from happening?”. From this question, the concept of Balkerne was born.
Given the latest technological advancements and the amount of data available nowadays, we started wondering why a solution that could stop such tremendous losses from happening had not been developed yet. We saw a huge opportunity to make businesses and society more resilient, and decided it was time to act.
New data formats survey – an update
On the 17 September, we told you about a survey we’re running to gather feedback on data formats. We want to make it as easy as possible to use OS products and to achieve this, we need your input.
We wanted to bring you an update on the responses so far and let you know that it’s not too late to have your say. If you use OS data, this a great opportunity to help shape the future of our products and make them easier to access and use. You will start to see outcomes based on this feedback next year, and it will also help us as we embark on the next generation of OS data products.
Feedback so far
Help us improve our data formats
We want to make it as easy as possible to use OS products. To achieve this, your feedback is vital.
When we introduced the new Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA), this was just the beginning of our plans to bring improvements and new developments to our users.
One of the cornerstones of the PSGA is introducing ‘new ways to access our data’. On 1 July 2020 we launched many new ways for customers to access our data including new products (such as OS Open UPRN), new pricing & licensing and the OS Data Hub, our new platform for accessing our authoritative geospatial data.
When real world mapping meets Tolkien
As a full-time cartographer with previous experience as an ecologist, our guest blogger Dan Bell is a huge advocate of the outdoors. In his spare time, he enjoys fell/long distance running and is currently training to become a Mountain Leader in the Lake District! If that wasn’t enough, he also runs Middle Earth’s Maps. Here, he tells us how he has used (Ordnance Survey) OS data in his Tolkien-inspired mapping…
Why are maps useful?
Maps are a window into an unknown landscape. They are simplifications of an increasingly complex world, affording us the opportunity to plan our adventures, make memories, and inspire our curiosities. It is these three attributes of maps and map making that continually motivate my work, in my endeavour to explore the realms of fantasy map creation within a real-world setting.
Crystal Palace, London.
OS OpenSpace – ending one API era as we start a new one
When we launched OS OpenSpace back in 2008, it was our first venture into mapping APIs. 12 years on, there has been a lot of progression in this market. As a result, we plan to withdraw the OS OpenSpace API in August 2021 as we can now offer users a similar but more proficient product.
We want to thank everyone who has used this service. Without your support, we wouldn’t be where we are today with our new and exciting suite of APIs.
With a year until the withdrawal, we’ve outlined some of the options for users to migrate across to.
Why is OS OpenSpace being withdrawn?
What are OS Identifiers?
Following an extensive user trial, on 1 July we launched the OS Data Hub. As the new way to access our authoritative location data, it includes our new range of location APIs.
In the first week we were pleased to see hundreds of new customers sign up to try them out. We’re keen to see more use through our existing and new customers, so if you’re interested, sign up today. Keep reading to find out more about OS Identifiers.
OS Open Identifiers
Hopefully it’s not just us, but we definitely found ourselves spending more time and money on online shopping throughout lockdown. Thankfully when we get to the point of entering our address, placing our order and receiving our purchases, we don’t need to think about how any of this works.
Introducing our Data Principles
As the Head of Data and Analytical Services at OS, here Lisa Allen offers us an insight into our data principles…
Ordnance Survey is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, and we hold some of the country’s most valued geospatial data. Our data is woven into the very fabric of everyday life, right across Britain.
However, it’s not just geospatial data that’s important to us. As a data business, our corporate data is equally important.
We need to ensure that our customers can trust, find and use our data. We want to enable you to connect data through the language of location for greater insights, better decisions and smarter outcomes.
OS urge people to stay safe this summer
OS is reminding people taking staycations this summer to be mindful and prepared of the dangers when adventuring outdoors.
It comes after Keswick Mountain Rescue reported there had been a surge of avoidable callouts after unprepared holiday makers got into difficulties while venturing up mountains in the Lake District.
Nick Giles, Managing Director of OS Consumer, said: “It is fantastic that more people than ever are getting outside and exploring Great Britain and here at OS, we want to make sure that everyone does this safely and enjoys their adventures.
“The biggest step to reduce the risk of danger is preparation and planning ahead. There are a few simple steps that everyone should take whether climbing a mountain or visiting a new beach.”
