WIREDGOV

The UK Legal Deposit Libraries have unveiled a new way of viewing large‑scale mapping, following the signing of an important agreement with Ordnance Survey.

The agreement ensures the libraries will continue to hold annual snapshots of detailed digital mapping of the whole of Great Britain .

The libraries collectively hold comprehensive archives of Ordnance Survey mapping dating back over two centuries. This was originally received in paper form and then microfilm, but in 1998 the shift was made towards purely digital data. Since 2006 this had meant receiving an OS MasterMap snapshot of Great Britain every year.

This entire archive of digital mapping, from 1998–2007, can now be explored and compared through a user-friendly viewer. This web-based program has been developed by the software company Dotted Eyes, using ResponseMX and over 1.5 terabytes of mapping data loaded using their InterpOSe and TranspOSe tools.

OS MasterMap is highly detailed, allowing precise recording of landscape change over time. It can be viewed in all of the six UK Legal Deposit Libraries, and a limited number of customised A4‑sized colour printouts of any area can be made for private, non-commercial use.

Further information can be found at:

British Library: www.bl.uk/collections/map_digital.html#OS

National Library of Scotland: www.nls.uk/collections/maps/subjectinfo/os-mastermap.html

More information on OS MasterMap can be found at: www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/osmastermap/

Notes to editors:

1. Ordnance Survey is ’s national mapping agency, providing the most accurate and up-to-date geographic data, relied on by government, business and individuals.

2. To download this news release visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/media. There you can also subscribe to our RSS news feed, bringing you the latest Ordnance Survey news stories, as soon as they are published.

3. There are six Legal Deposit Libraries in the United Kingdom and Ireland: the Bodleian Library, Oxford; the British Library, London; Cambridge University Library; the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh; the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth; and The Library of Trinity College Dublin.

4. The Legal Deposit Libraries are entitled in terms of the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 to request a copy of all printed items published in the , and in the Republic of Ireland by reciprocal legislation. This Act continues the basic provisions for print publications established earlier by the Copyright Act 1911, Section 15. Through this legislation, as well as through acquisition and donation, the Libraries have built up comprehensive collections, including Ordnance Survey mapping.

5. The new Ordnance Survey Map Viewer, developed by Dotted Eyes, (www.dottedeyes.com/ukldl) incorporates ResponseMX (www.dottedeyes.com/web_mapping) for deploying Rich Internet Mapping. It allows secure Extranet access to a central hub server hosted by Dotted Eyes, with viewing strictly controlled through authentication in each Library.

6. The A4-sized printouts for private, non-commercial use are permitted by the exceptions noted in the Copyright Act. The libraries’ viewer is not a substitute for Ordnance Survey’s legitimate commercial partner services, and the libraries charge a fee to cover costs of these printouts.

7. Ordnance Survey, the OS Symbol and OS MasterMap are registered trademarks of Ordnance Survey. Dotted Eyes is a registered trademark and InterpOSe, ResponseMX and TranspOSe are trademarks of Dotted Eyes Ltd.

For more information from Ordnance Survey, please contact:

Scott Sinclair – Head of Corporate Communications on 023 8079 2265 or scott.sinclair@ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Paul Beauchamp – Senior Press Officer on 023 8079 2568 or
paul.beauchamp@ordnancesurvey.co.uk