WIREDGOV

100 stunning aerial images which form part of an extraordinary outdoor exhibition can now be viewed on a new interactive map created using Ordnance Survey data.

In September 2010 Michael Palin, President of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) officially opened the Britain from the Air street gallery in the historic centre of Bath. The outdoor exhibition was created by the Society jointly with street gallery pioneers WeCommunic8, and supported by Ordnance Survey.

The exhibition is free to view and accessible 24 hours a day, offering visitors the opportunity to see Britain as they have never seen it before through 100 stunning images, which capture Britain’s beauty as seen from its skies. The photographs reveal mountain valleys carved by glaciers, saw-toothed coastlines edged by glistening waters, abandoned villages and transport networks, telling their story with text, historical images from the Society’s Collections, and maps.

The exhibition also gave visitors the chance to walk the length and breadth of the country and visit the locations featured in the exhibition on a 16 x 8 metre ‘walk on’ Ordnance Survey map.

From March 2011 the exhibition was made available online thanks to the highly detailed online mapping service from Ordnance Survey, OS OpenSpace. The free online service allows developers to create individual maps, and with the help of OS OpenSpace Web-Map Builder, users – in this case the Society – can now easily add markers, routes and search functionality to their web map without having to write a single line of code.

The new Britain from the Air online map allows visitors to zoom and pan across the country clicking on the many icons to view and read in more detail about the image. On the map all the images have been grouped into nine broad themes, each shown by an icon. For example, to find images of amazing coastlines click on the bucket and spade icon; to see historic and iconic buildings, click on the castle icon.

Peter ter Haar, Ordnance Survey Director of Products, says: “Ordnance Survey was pleased to support Britain from the Air when it launched in Bath last year. It is a great exhibition showcasing many amazing aerial photographs of Great Britain.

“Ordnance Survey supported the outdoor exhibition with a giant walk on map and now through OS OpenSpace have enabled the exhibition to go online. The new interactive map is a great way for people to view, and pinpoint the locations of, the many stunning images. I hope that the new online map will give visitors a new perspective, understanding and desire to explore some of the beautiful locations that we have in Great Britain.”

The Britain from the Air exhibition is expected to finish in Bath on 14 March 2011 with the exhibition moving to Oxford between 24 June and 4 September 2011. However, all the images are also available to view online at www.rgs.org/bftaonline 

Notes to editors: 

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

2. The Royal Geographical Society (with The Institute of British Geographers) is the learned society and professional body for geography. Formed in 1830, our Royal Charter of 1859 is for 'the advancement of geographical science'. Today, we deliver this objective by developing, supporting and promoting geography through research, expeditions and fieldwork, education, and public engagement, while also providing geographical input to policy. We aim to foster an understanding and informed enjoyment of our world. We hold the world's largest private geographical collection and provide public access to it. We have a thriving Fellowship and membership and offer the professional accreditation 'Chartered Geographer' http://www.rgs.org/

3. The Society’s Collections and associated exhibitions are kindly supported by Rolex.  

4. To download this news release visit www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/media. There you can also subscribe to our RSS feed. 

5. Ordnance Survey and the OS Symbol are registered trademarks and OS OpenData is a trademark of Ordnance Survey. AGI is a registered trademark of Association for Geographic Information.