OS Data Hub page – OS Names screenshot.
In case you missed our big news, back in July we launched the OS Data Hub. As our new data platform, the OS Data Hub is transforming the way people access, share, and innovate with location data.
DataIQ connects, educates and supports people in data and analytics. The platform focuses on the needs of data and analytics professionals from global, FTSE 100, large and mid-market organisations.
As a result of our launch, Product Manager Charley Glynn and Developer Advocate John Hoopes were invited to be guests on the DataIQ podcast.
OS Data Hub screenshot.
Ecommerce is nothing new, but in a Covid-19 world, ecommerce has boomed. What this means, however, is that competition has also grown. With consumers increasingly turning to online shopping for everything from clothing to food, business owners need to be ready to capture every sale possible when a user visits their website. So, how exactly can business owners boost their ecommerce sales? Here are five techniques to turn website window shoppers into loyal, paying customers.
Part of the problem with online shopping is that there are so many horror stories of people being conned, products not being delivered or products not being as described on the website. The key to overcome a website user’s scepticism is to create visibility of genuine product reviews by real customers.
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.
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.
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.
In the months since lockdown restrictions around Great Britain began to be relaxed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Britons valued the chance to GetOutside. During that time, subscribers to OS Maps have logged almost 700,000 routes in the app, showing whereabouts in the country they’ve been outdoors.
We’ve analysed the data to identify some Britain’s top walking spots since lockdown eased.
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.
As part of our developer series, we recently discussed the benefits of vector tiles in one of our previous blog posts.
OS Open Zoomstack and the OS Vector Tile API already offer some amazing mapping which can be used as the basis for overlaying other information. There are various ways to add data overlays to your base map including data received from Web Feature Services (WFS) such as the OS Features API or simply GeoJSON files which are stored on your web server.
Although both these options are perfect for smaller volumes of data (in terms of number of features and/or geometric complexity), sometimes it makes more sense to take advantage tiled vector data which can enable data of any size to be quickly rendered in your browser.
The OS Vector Tile API already offers a selection of data overlays but, with the right tooling and a bit of data processing, it is relatively straight-forward to generate your own.
In this blog, we are going to look at the steps involved in creating your own vector tile overlay using the parliamentary constituency polygons from the Boundary-Line dataset. Although we are using the parliamentary constituencies in this example, it is possible to swap in any of the administrative and electoral boundaries (or alternatively the entire dataset as demonstrated here).
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.”
OS is Britain's mapping agency. We make the most up-to-date and accurate maps of the country. But we're also a digital business, and we use our content to help governments, companies and individuals to be more effective both here and around the world.