Comments on: The neogeographers are coming for your children http://www.systemed.net/blog/?p=121 Church organ, maps, canals, cider. Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:17:09 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Système D » Ordnance Survey goes free – some initial thoughts http://www.systemed.net/blog/?p=121&cpage=1#comment-816 Système D » Ordnance Survey goes free – some initial thoughts Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:06:06 +0000 http://www.systemed.net/blog/?p=121#comment-816 [...] Survey. I wrote here previously that OS’s best chance of surviving was to open up street name/geometries, boundaries, postcodes, [...] [...] Survey. I wrote here previously that OS’s best chance of surviving was to open up street name/geometries, boundaries, postcodes, [...]

]]> By: Martin http://www.systemed.net/blog/?p=121&cpage=1#comment-771 Martin Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:27:51 +0000 http://www.systemed.net/blog/?p=121#comment-771 @David Cantrell: OSM doesn't have contours, but that can be added by using the SRTM dataset from NASA; e.g. see an example use at: http://www.opencyclemap.org/ or http://croydon.cyclestreets.net/ to give a very immediate example (and pan about a bit). (Whether that gives sufficient resolution for the uses that OS data is put to, I can't say.) @David Cantrell:

OSM doesn’t have contours, but that can be added by using the SRTM dataset from NASA; e.g. see an example use at:
http://www.opencyclemap.org/
or
http://croydon.cyclestreets.net/
to give a very immediate example (and pan about a bit).

(Whether that gives sufficient resolution for the uses that OS data is put to, I can’t say.)

]]> By: David Cantrell http://www.systemed.net/blog/?p=121&cpage=1#comment-765 David Cantrell Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:17:44 +0000 http://www.systemed.net/blog/?p=121#comment-765 I'm glad someone's keeping their old 3" disks - I got rid of all mine. Anyway, for all the great stuff that OSM is doing, it's still stuck with being a *street* map as far as I can see. It lacks essential details like contours, terrain, etc. And getting all of *that* data for free without the OS is a *hard* problem. So I guess I'm a paleo-geographer too. I’m glad someone’s keeping their old 3″ disks – I got rid of all mine.

Anyway, for all the great stuff that OSM is doing, it’s still stuck with being a *street* map as far as I can see. It lacks essential details like contours, terrain, etc. And getting all of *that* data for free without the OS is a *hard* problem. So I guess I’m a paleo-geographer too.

]]> By: Frankie Roberto http://www.systemed.net/blog/?p=121&cpage=1#comment-751 Frankie Roberto Tue, 29 Sep 2009 18:17:29 +0000 http://www.systemed.net/blog/?p=121#comment-751 I'm not sure where you draw the line between large scale and small scale, but OSM seems to be at least trending towards larger scale stuff, even if it's happening slowly (and with a bit of friction, as evidenced by the 'should bridges be independent of their ways' debate). I agree, though, that the OS could quickly jump ahead if it opened up access to some of its data - everything from streets to buildings to paths to natural features. One of the big problems that the OS can never overcome though, is that the internet is global, and requires maps and map data that span the world (or at least the places where internet-using people live). Ordnance Survey is always going to be UK-only, and so that limits a lot of its use. I’m not sure where you draw the line between large scale and small scale, but OSM seems to be at least trending towards larger scale stuff, even if it’s happening slowly (and with a bit of friction, as evidenced by the ’should bridges be independent of their ways’ debate).

I agree, though, that the OS could quickly jump ahead if it opened up access to some of its data – everything from streets to buildings to paths to natural features.

One of the big problems that the OS can never overcome though, is that the internet is global, and requires maps and map data that span the world (or at least the places where internet-using people live). Ordnance Survey is always going to be UK-only, and so that limits a lot of its use.

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