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By viv, 1 May, 2013 8:00 am

With only a few hours left to enter the GeoVation Challenge to help business save the environment, I thought it would be good to see where, in the UK, the ideas that have been submitted are from.  Take a look at our OS OpenSpace map below and you can use the links within the markers to find out more about the ideas and comment and vote on them.

If you’ve got an idea to  help British business be greener then it’s not too late to enter your own ideas  too . You have until 12 noon today (1 May)  to enter the GeoVation Challenge. We are looking for ideas that use Ordnance Survey data, including OS OpenData and OS OpenSpace, together with other open data. The best ideas will be invited to a weekend GeoVation Camp from 21 – 23 June 2013 where you can work on building your idea into a prototype and pitch to the judging panel.  Successful ideas receive a share of £100,000 funding to get started on developing their ideas.

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By Luke, 14 March, 2013 8:00 am

Over the last couple of years Ordnance Survey has been working on a collaborative project with UK Location Programme and Cabinet Office to implement map-based tools, making it easier for users to search and preview public location datasets available on data.gov.uk. The project was completed to further enable the publication of location datasets in support of the UK Location Strategy, and as part of the UK contribution to the European INSPIRE project.

We are now pleased to announce that the code developed by Ordnance Survey for these mapping tools has been released as open source.

The Map Based Search (see image below) allows users to draw a box on a background map, leading to a search for datasets which are wholly or partially contained in that area. It also features a gazetteer, so the user can locate by place name where on the map they want to draw their search box. This provide a richer, more advanced way of searching, at national, regional and local level, for records of data sets and services that are referenced by geographical coordinates.

Continue reading 'Code used to build map-based search tool released as open source'»

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By Luke, 28 February, 2013 8:00 am

On Tuesday evening, we hosted a developer event at the HUB Westminster, London between 6 – 9pm. We thought we’d provide a short write-up to summarise what was covered during the evening, for the benefit of those that couldn’t attend.

If you weren’t already aware, we have just released a new version of our free web mapping API – OS OpenSpace. The new version supports mobile touch devices, meaning any website using OS OpenSpace can now be viewed and panned on tablets and mobile devices.

We organised the event to generally promote the new version but had three specific objectives in mind. First and foremost, we wanted to showcase the new enhancements to our community of users. Secondly; to provide an opportunity for developers to run through some web-based OS OpenSpace tutorials and finally, we hoped to gain feedback about the service i.e. what the developers like, what they think could be improved; and finally, what they would like to see in future releases.

Continue reading 'Tuesday’s OS Developer event a great success!'»

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By viv, 20 February, 2013 8:00 am

Today we have a great guest blog from GeoVation winner, Ed Dowding who tells us what Sustaination is aiming to achieve and how they will be doing this using gathering and using open data:

Imagine if there were a shop in which you knew that everything had been sustainably and fairly sourced.

If you picked up an apple, it would be from the nearest, most viable orchard; if you choose burgers, they would be locally produced from locally grazed cattle; and if it was February the tomatoes would be preserved ones – you’ll savour the anticipation of fresh ones when they’re back in season. In the meantime there’s winter stews to enjoy.

Wouldn’t it be great to shop there? I’d love to know that the money I spend isn’t creating hardship for a farmer – it’s generating livelihoods; it isn’t polluting the planet – it’s actually purifying water; it isn’t hindering future generations – it’s actively enriching the soil; and, in short, that we’re doing the very best we know that we can do.

That’s the vision we’re working towards, and that’s the vision GeoVation is helping us achieve.

So how do we do it?

We’re working on two complementary projects:

1) Foodtrade —  a business-to-business food trade network. It’s  really simple: if you’re a food business (of any size or type, from farm-to-fork) you tell us where you are and what you buy or sell. We’ll try match-make you with others near you. We also do a lot of other clever stuff, and we’ll be launching that soon.

2) I Want Better Food — a new type of campaign site where we help consumers and businesses work together to create a better food system.

The timing really couldn’t be better (unfortunately). The recent horse meat scandal has brought to mind, again, that we need to take more responsibility for our food.

Continue reading 'Open data, big data, big changes'»

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By Luke, 7 February, 2013 8:00 am

For any of our blog followers that aren’t aware, Ordnance Survey offer a web mapping service called OS OpenSpace®. The Application Programming Interface (API) allows developers to embed our maps into public websites and mobile applications, for free.

But why do developers choose OS OpenSpace above other free web mapping providers? Well, OS OpenSpace map data is based on our world famous paper map series which many are familiar with, so often, developers are choosing OS OpenSpace above alternative offerings. Feedback received from the OS OpenSpace community suggests they believe the quality of the data, particularly in rural areas, is unrivalled and this is another pull factor for many. The level of detail provided means that it is possible to create applications with detailed information on any given area, rather than providing just an overview and again, this is a point that many developers are excited by.

The image illustrates the level of detail of OS OpenSpace in rural areas, compared to other free map providers.

Continue reading 'OS OpenSpace V4.0 released! Find out more at our OS Developer Event'»

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By Luke, 22 January, 2013 8:00 am

Last week, we held our first GeoSurgery of the year at the Google Campus, a venue that’s located in the heart of east London’s Tech City cluster. The GeoSurgery was open to anyone to come along and discuss their project with our resident GeoDoctor. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “everything happens somewhere” (we’ve used it before, here on the blog) well, that’s something that we champion here within the GeoVation team. We believe that location-based information is playing an increasing part in many aspects of modern day society and it’s no surprise therefore, that so many web and mobile developers will have an interest in a location element whilst developing their product/service offering.

The GeoDoctor talked to around a dozen developers throughout the day, each one of them developing products and services for which location is an integral part of the offering. We had one discussion with a new business start-up called Locatable. Locatable’s business idea is to create a web-based service that makes it easier for people to decide exactly where they want to live when moving house. Sounds like a relatively simple idea doesn’t it? Well here’s the clever bit…

Continue reading 'Last week’s GeoSurgery a great success…'»

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By Luke, 15 January, 2013 8:00 am

Broken line of code stopping you from embedding a web-map on your website? Haven’t quite managed to mend the markers in your online location-based app? An offline mapping-related problem that you need some advice with? Well, have no fear, help is here!

Back by popular demand, our resident GeoDoctor returns on Thursday 17 January. From 10 am to 3 pm, we’ll be holding our first GeoSurgery of 2013 at the Google Campus in London. During the drop-in session, the GeoDoctor will be on hand to diagnose and provide advice for all of those Geo-related aches, pains and agonies that might have been preventing you from making headway with your project – helping you get back on track by prescribing the next course of action.

Continue reading 'The return of the GeoDoctor'»

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By Luke, 14 December, 2012 8:00 am

In our last blog, we told you all about what the Innovation team had been up to during, what has been a very busy period. Due to the packed schedule throughout November and early December, you may have noticed that we’ve taken some time out from posting anything here on the blog. However, we thought you would be interested to read about the fourth series of OS OpenData Masterclasses that we ran during the last two weeks of November, so here’s a short write-up.

Following on from the three previously successful series of Masterclasses, we decided to revamp the fourth series, based on feedback received from the previous events. For the first time, participants were shown how to use OS OpenSpace, Ordnance Survey’s free web mapping service that allows users to display up-to-date Ordnance Survey mapping in a web page or online environment. Those who attended learnt how and where to access code examples, how to use Web-Map Builder, a tool designed to simplify the process of embedding a map into a website; as well as demonstrating an interactive way to experiment with code in the new Code Playground.

Continue reading 'OS OpenData Masterclasses review'»

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By Luke, 9 November, 2012 8:00 am

The event provides an opportunity for you to connect with your peers as well as vendors and non-GIS Professionals. Ordnance Survey will be presenting along with other GIS/GeoData professionals from: Astun Technology, Esri UK, Bing Maps/Microsoft, Intergraph UK, and GeoEnable.

Continue reading 'Ready for GIS in the Cloud?'»

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By Luke, 5 November, 2012 8:00 am

If you’re in London this Wednesday 7 November, why not join us for an evening of presentations, networking and discussions – with a focus on “The Future of Location Data”?

Where is location data going? How will it impact your work? Where are the opportunities? These questions and more will be explored during our latest Innovation event that we’re hosting at the Google Campus, London. With only a few tickets remaining, it’s sure to be a thought inspiring session, so if you’re interested in coming along, click here to register for your FREE ticket.

The evening will build on two events that we brought to you earlier in the year – ‘Location – Everything happens somewhere’ and the ‘OS OpenData Masterclass’. Once again, there will be an opportunity for innovators, entrepreneurs, developers – indeed anyone that has an interest location data – to meet-up and learn more about the vast wealth of location-based resources, including mapping datasets that are freely available to order from Ordnance Survey, through the OS OpenData portal.

Continue reading 'The Future of Location Data – where are we heading?'»